Clock Angel
by EmeraldV
Summary: Clockwork Angel set in modern times. All human. Same big plot lines with new twists.
1. Chapter 1

I know others have tempted a similar story but i just had the urge to bust this out. This won' be exactly like Clockwork Angel, there will be new stuff but the bigger plot lines will remain. So yeah..Enjoy!

Everything belongs to Cassie Clare.

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Tessa headed towards the designated "Classics" section part of the library. Weaving the heavy cart full of books, she noticed how isolated it was today. Normally students crowded the shelves searching for a book that they rather borrow than buy because they only need it for that single assignment_. No appreciation at all_, Tessa thought. Picking up a rather thick book from the cart, she glanced at the title and smiled. _Don Quijote_ was one of her all time favorites. Tessa read it when she was in a particularly sour mood and needed to get out of that funk. Don Quijote and Sancho's adventures never failed to make her laugh. She opened to the book to a random page and began reading.

A faint noise caught Tessa's attention. Looking up from the book and turning to all directions, she found nothing. A feeling of uneasy began to crawl through her. This had not been the first time she felt as if she was being watched. It all began when she moved to London six weeks ago to stay with her brother. But Nate never showed up to pick her up at the airport. Instead Tessa had been confronted by two women confirming that he was away at a business trip and would be staying them with as long as necessary. She imagined living with the Dark Sisters paralleled to living in a prison. They took away all her personal items including her passport and money. They enrolled her in home schooling and scheduled volunteer hours at the library where they were employed. Tessa was not allowed to wonder about till Nate came back. There was also the strangest rule about not talking to anyone. The sisters had even emphasized punishment on that rule. Why had Nate left her with such strict controlling people? It wasn't so much that she was a social butterfly desperately trying to spread her wings but this was London! There was so much history and she had not seen any of it. Surely thoughts of running away had crossed her mind a time or two but without any money, how far could she get? So Tessa stayed and impatiently waited for her brother to get back.

Lost in thought, she almost missed the shadow that slid behind one of the bookcases. Unsure if this was some sort of practical joke or not, this was beginning to scare her. Gripping the weighty book to be used as a weapon if it need it be and asking Don Quijote for courage, she turned the corner to the bookcase where the shadow fled.

There was no one. Tessa heard a small breathe behind her which was clearly not hers because she was holding in hers. She could feel it now. There was someone right behind her. Before she could succumb into her fear, in one quick fluid motion she turned and swung the book. Tessa noticed he was a boy not much older than her at the moment the book made contact with his cheek.

"Ow! You hit me," he said with a slight hint of amusement.

Tessa was too distracted by his looks to answer back. He was beautiful. Not just beautiful but heartbreakingly so. He was very tall with a lean but with a much defined body, had a head full of black hair that appeared as if he ran his hands through it several times a day and it was perfect. He had a set of full lips, his eyes were a distinct blue, high cheekbones, and very long eyelashes. She knew she was staring but she couldn't help it. _Was he real?_

"I could seriously be suffering a concussion you know," he went on. Tessa picked up on his accent, so very British.

"Why were you sneaking up on me?!"

He cocked his head to the side and narrowed his blue eyes at her. "You're in danger and you need to come with me."

_Okay this has to be a joke_, she thought. "I dunno why you think this is funny but-"

"We don't have much time," he said annoyed. "Well we might have if you hadn't attacked me with Don Quijote of all books."

A ringing sound began to play and the boy brought out his phone from his jean pocket. Tessa noticed it was a very advanced smart-phone, one she had never seen.

"Damn! The sisters spotted Henry. Let's go"

"Why the would I go anywhere with you? I don't even know your name," she demanded.

He let out an exasperated breath and regarded her with so much attention Tessa's face felt hot. "My name is William Herondale but everyone calls me Will. The Dark sisters have been lying to you about your brother being away. He has been missing weeks. We're not sure why they have been holding you hostage but that must mean something. Do you anything about the Magister? Don't answer that right now. There now can we go now Miss…" He looked at her expectantly.

"Miss Gray," She whispered. "Miss Theresa Gray"

Tessa's head was spinning trying to register all of Will had said. She knew it all had felt wrong but this wasn't supposed to happen. She had so many questions she could not pick one.

Her thoughts must have been visible across her face because Will said, "I know you don't have a reason to trust me but what is your gut telling you right now?"

He stood very close to her which was not helping Tessa's thought process. "You will help me find my brother?"

Will leaned down to level his face with hers. "Yes I will help you," he said. Can we go now?"

From a distant part of the library Tessa heard her name being yelled. She felt her skin crawl.

"What is the quickest way outside?" Will demanded.

Tessa ran through the bookcases like she had a map through a maze, with Will only a step behind her. She didn't trust Will but someone confirming that the Dark Sisters had not been what they appeared made her feel less crazy. She was scared but knowing that her brother was in danger gave a strength she didn't know she had.

Finally reaching an emergency exit that Tessa knew didn't work, she pushed the doors open. It was night and the streets were oddly quiet.

Will grinned. "Come on. My bike is around the corner."

"Bike?" she repeated.

Will chose not to answer until they arrived at a sleek black motorcycle. Tessa gulped_, Okay. I can do this. Don't be a coward. This is for Nate._

"Yes bike," he said almost teasingly. "Sorry no helmets either."

Placing himself on the bike, he started it up. This was Tessa's chance to run. To run from the Dark sisters. To run from Will. But her gut told her that Will wasn't one of the bad guys. She walked next to the bike and swung her leg over. Nervously she placed her arms around Will's waist and held on tight.

"Hold on Gray," he warned right before he sped into the night.

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If i get 3 to 5 comments then i'll write another chapter. i don't want to commit to something that nobody will read. i'm also working on another piece called "Forever and Goodbye" which is also Infernal Devices related. Have a nice day!


	2. Slowly

Hey guys! so i'm pretty shocked that anyone read my story and not only read it but liked it too. I apologize if it looked like i was begging for reviews but i really wasn't sure if i should continue or not. Seriously thanks for the people that did! i got a couple people saying i need to slow the fuck down and i completely agree so hopefully i did a better job at that in this chapter.

Everything belongs to Cassie Clare who's real name is Judith something...

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"You can let go now." Will chuckled and glanced down at Tessa's fingers which happened to be wrapped very tightly around his middle.

She was not aware that they stopped moving. Her heart was beating incredibly fast and there was not enough oxygen traveling down to her lungs, causing her breaths to come out in small gasps. The pounding in her head was becoming more and more pronounced. Will had driven extensively fast, weaving through traffic and alleyways. There were times where she had been sure he was headed straight towards a brick wall and in the last possible second turning the bike in a different direction._ Oh God what have I done? _she thought distressed. Just because someone had finally verified her suspicious about the Dark sisters did not mean she had to run off with them.

"Gray? Did you hear me?" Will's voice became concerned as he peeked over his shoulder to look at her.

Tessa shut her eyes tight not allowing the tears that were threatening to pool over. She didn't know where all the bravery she had back at the library went but it left without any trace of ever being there in the first place. Her hands fell to her side and she felt Will's weight leave the bike.

"You look quite wonky. Can you move?" Will asked softly. He was standing closely beside her.

She shook her head no. _This must be what a panic anxiety attack feels like. Or is it anxiety attack? I must be giving the impression of a complete nutcase!_

His fingers pressed against her wrist. Tessa jumped at the contact and observed how soft and warm his skin was. "I know my dashing good looks are blinding but you have my complete permission to stare."

Tessa snorted and tried not to smile. His humor had distracted her from her inner terror of the situation. Slowly she opened her eyes and instantly met Will's bluer than blue eyes. It hit her again how stunning he was and after his last comment, he obviously knew it too. For the first time tonight Tessa considered her own her appearance. Her long brown wavy hair was up in a ponytail but now loose because of the fast travel. She wore pair of skinny jeans, a loose flannel shirt, and her favorite red converse. Never being one for make-up, she wasn't even sure she put on chapstick this morning. Will wasn't dressed up much either but his black jeans, black leather jacket, and combat boots radiated high end merchandise. _How else could it look like pieces of clothing were made to fit him personally?_

Will looked at her in all seriousness now. "How do you feel?"

Tessa glanced at his fingers still touching her wrist. She wondered if that was the reason why her heartbeat could not normalize itself. As if picking up on her train of thought, Will quickly pulled his hand away and stuffed them in his jacket.

"I'm fine," she whispered knowing her voice would shake if she attempted to talk.

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Liar. We're going to go inside the Institute now."

Carefully getting off the motorcycle, she looked at the area around them. The tall brick buildings gave no signs of life. Thinking about it, she had not seen a car pass by or another person for that matter. It was too quiet and hardly any streetlight. The feeling of uneasiness began to buildup again. She turned back to Will who was studying her with an odd intensity. Even with his lips pressed together rightly and his eyebrows pulled together, Tessa could still describe him as angelic.

"You have to trust me, Gray," he said carefully while moving closer to her. She could sense his eyes were telling her not to be afraid.

Tessa shook her head and took a step back. "What? I'm not going anywhere-"

She felt a sharp sting on her wrist. Glancing down she saw Will's hand hover over it. Fatigue began to sink in. _He drugged me!_ Her legs were threatening to give out any moment. Tessa stared up trying to look at Will but her vision had become too blurry. _No! This can't be happening to me!_ _It was a mistake!_

She felt strong arms reach out and take hold of her. _When did I close my eyes?_ Unconsciousness was winning its battle. _Maybe I'll be with Nate_, she thought lastly before giving up to the darkness.

_She had to be dreaming. Tessa watched herself walking down the hallway of the Dark Sister's home, but before she reached the kitchen she realized the sisters were there. "Not much longer but he promised a big reward for our assistance to him," said in her shrill voice. "The girl is key…."_

Tessa's eyes snapped open and was surrounded in shadows. She was lying on big comfortable bed tucked in warm blankets. Her head still felt heavy and her body sluggish but she was conscious enough to realize this was not her room. It was all slowly coming back to her now. Will and his beautiful ocean colored eyes, him telling her she was not safe and had been lied to for weeks, running away with him on his motorcycle, and finally him drugging her. She sat up trying to adjust her eyes to the dim lit room. Out of the corner of her eye she saw to figures watching her.

A man stepped forward and Tessa froze, he resembled a skeleton more than man. His skin was so utterly pale white, he was completely bald, and his facial features especially his eyes were deeply sunk in. _Were_ _those stitches on his lips and tattoos on his face?_ Wearing all black clothing only emphasized his nonhuman appearance. She screamed and threw the blankets off her but tripped on her attempt on jumping off the bed.

Pushing herself up from the hardwood floor, she noticed she wasn't wearing any shoes or pants, her flannel was big enough to cover herself but she still pulled the edges down. Tessa walked backwards keeping her eyes on the man; he hadn't moved again or said anything to her. Sighing in relief when she finally reached a door knob, she twisted it and pulled. It was locked. _No!_ She turned towards the door and fought the door to open.

"Theresa Gray?"

Tessa was shaking badly while trying to swallow the sob rising in her throat. _God please unlock! Please!_

"Miss Gray!" repeated the voice with more authority. Light filled the room suddenly. "Miss Gray, I apologize for scaring you but there is no reason for you to feel threatened." She was surprised that the voice belonged to a woman and sounding so young.

"If you're not a threat then why is the door locked?" she asked quietly not letting go of the knob.

"Please let me explain," the woman replied nicely.

Tessa turned away from the door but stayed within reach of the door. The room was bigger than she realized. Ceiling high windows, large dark wood furniture, a desk with a set up computer, a couch in front of fireplace, and another door which could have been the closet. She had never stayed in a place so extravagant. Back in New York, she shared a one bedroom apartment with her brother and aunt. The room that the Dark Sister's provided her with would only be considered as a big closet. She finally looked at the figures who had not moved from other side of the bed.

Next to the skeleton man stood a short woman. She had dark brown eyes almost black that showed only curiosity for Tessa. Her brown hair was pulled up in a tight bun and she wore a fitted gray pant suit with a white collared shirt. Like Tessa, she had little to no make-up. "My name is Charlotte Branwell, the person in charge of this institute, and beside me is Enoch. He was only checking your health. Will said something about you looking shaken up on the ride over. How do you feel now?" For someone so small her voice laced power and importance.

The sound of Will's name sent a fire through Tessa's veins. _At least he didn't lie about his name_. She felt extremely betrayed even though she had no right to feel that way. After speaking with him for only five minutes she ran off with him. _Who does that?! Someone who's desperate to find their only family member in the world that's who_.

Tessa cleared her throat. "Where is he?"

"Who? Will? He's here in the institute," Charlotte said calmly.

The skeleton man moved turning to Charlotte and signing something with his fingers. Charlotte only nodded in return. "Enoch is leaving now so you might want to move away from the door."

Never taking her eyes off him, Tessa moved back to the bed and sat on the edge. It was unnatural how someone so sickly thin could walk with such grace. When he turned the door handle it opened. _What the?_ She wanted to run as he exited but a quick glance at Charlotte changed her mind.

"Where are my pants and shoes?" she asked a bit more rudely than she intended.

"That's your first question?" Charlotte smiled amused. "Not why am I here?"

Tessa only nodded.

"They're on the bench on the foot of the bed. Don't worry our housekeeper, Sophie, undressed you. We thought you might be more comfortable that way." Charlotte's tone was gentle but she watched Tessa like a hawk. "We were correct since you've been asleep for nearly 16 hours."

Tessa took a deep breath and met her hard gaze. "Why am I here?"

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I named the chapter "Slowly" because i was listening to my favorite Indie band named Barcelona and i love this song on their album :)

Two others songs that i listened to when writing this was No Doubt's "Making Out" and P!nk's "Are We All We are"

it does not fit the mood of this chapter but whatever


	3. Do No Wrong

**Hi all! i just wanted to say a ginormous thank you to the people that have been reviewing! This chapter is longer than the last two because i've finally gotten the ball rolling and i'm pretty excited. **

everything belongs to Cassie Clare.

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Tessa watched Charlotte move to her side of the bed and take a seat. She almost didn't want her to start talking because she had this awful feeling that it was going to be more bad information than good. Even when she had a hard time believing that Nate was away in a business trip for so long, she never allowed herself to consider him hurt or worse.

"You are here because a danger criminal who goes by the name of Magister has been holding you hostage since you arrived to London six weeks ago. That is if you're not secretly working for him and trying to gain knowledge on us." Charlotte voice turned hard with matching her icy stare. "So which is it Theresa Gray?"

Vaguely Tessa remembered Will asking her about this _Magister _at the library. None of what she was being told made any kind of sense. _Being held hostage? And who is us?_

"No I had no idea- I mean I've never heard of this _Magister_ person. I came to here to live with my brother after our aunt passed away."Her throat began to tighten with the realization that she had not spoken of aunt Harriet's death to anyone. "He sent me an airplane ticket and when I arrived the Dark sisters were waiting for me…"

Charlotte's glare softened dramatically but doubt still lingered in her eyes. "Honestly Miss Gray a part of me believes you but there is evidence pointing to the latter. The institute has been keeping a close eye on the Dark sisters for a while since they're one of the few who know the identity of the Magister. We spotted you with them a few times so we tried to pull information on you. We acquired your name from one of the workers at the library." She paused and Tessa knew the bad part was coming up." Our attempt was unsuccessful since there are no records of you ever existing."

"That's not true! I have a birth certificate and I'm sure my school has record of me attending. How can I not exist?" Tessa was bewildered.

"We looked everywhere. Hospital and school databases, social networks, and one of our people stationed in New York went around asking about you. They reported that teachers vaguely recognized your name but none could be completely sure. Your landlord had not seen in you in months but your lease was nearly over and you had renewed."

Tessa was tittering on the edge of a breakdown. Listening to how no one could remember her existence hurt so much she could almost feel it physically. She had always been the quiet girl in class, with a book in her hands and earphones connected to her IPod. People acknowledged it as being antisocial but she loved losing herself in a story and knew that only a fellow bookworm could understand. Nate would often tell her she suffered from social anxiety because she would clam up every time she met someone new. Making friends wasn't easy. With aunt Harriet working a night shift as a maid in a hotel, she had the responsibility to clean the apartment and cook for everyone while trying to keep her brother out of trouble. There had not been time to go to her school's sport games or events like homecoming. She stopped attending school altogether when her aunt got sick, spending her days at the hospital because she believed nobody deserved to die alone. Now she was alone and if she died nobody would know. _Who would tell Nate?_

"If you stare directly at light it helps dry tears," said Charlotte gently.

Tessa glanced sideways at Charlotte. Any suspicions that had been in her eyes was no longer there, instead her expression mirrored sympathy. That was normal for her. Having dead parents received a lot of apologetic looks.

"A few days ago we came across an email sent to your brother recently." She spoke calmly as if trying to push her. "Do you know the one I'm referring to?"

Tessa nodded knowing exactly what Charlotte was talking about. She had discretely used one the library's computers while the sisters went on a coffee run. She accessed the internet, made an email account, and wrote to Nate as quickly as she could. The fear of getting caught had almost stopped her but she needed to talk to him. In the email she asked where he was, when he was coming back, why did he leave her with the sisters, and how extremely afraid she was. Embarrassment and anger grew inside her. That had been private and now revealed her as weak.

"It saved your life, Tessa. Your words sounded so sincere we had to check it out."

"Who are you guys? You keep saying "us" and "we" but I don't know what you're talking about," Tessa demanded.

"I am head of a private investigation company that I run with my husband. We've been following this case for quite some time-"

"So you don't _actually_ work for the British police?" she inquired.

Charlotte rose to her feet and gave Tessa a look that suggested she tread cautiously. "_Actually_ they handed us this specific case because they couldn't find any evidence to connect back to the Magister. They don't even know about you."

"Why don't you work for them?"

Charlotte's face contorted to annoyance and placed her hands on her hips. Now close to her, Tessa couldn't help but consider her age. She roughly estimated 25 but she had a feeling it was the clothes and hair that matured her appearance.

"I used to work them but they made it clear that they never wanted me out on the field for my safety. Which is bullshit for I'm a woman and that's a man's job," Charlotte spat.

Tessa's eyes widened unsure how to respond to her obvious anger. The feeling of being in immediate danger began to fade with the more information got.

"What happened to Nate?" she asked, afraid of the answer.

"I'm sorry but we have nothing on him. We wouldn't even know about him if it weren't for your email," said Charlotte.

Her stomach dropped. If she had really been kidnapped, did that mean Nate was looking for her too? He was just as alone as she was. "I need to find him."

Charlotte nodded. "I understand and I would like to offer you an invitation to stay here at the institute while I figure out why the Magister wants you. In return, we'll find your brother."

"You want me to stay _here_?" Tessa asked a little perplexed.

"Certainly, it would save us the trouble of keeping watch over you at all times."

She rubbed her eyes with the palm of her hands. The real question was how far was she willing go to find her brother? "What about my stuff? The sisters took away my passport and money. I need clothes and-my books!" There had been so much she already parted with when moving to London and now she had nothing. "I have to go back!"

Charlotte shook her head. "We'll pay to replace everything. I'm sorry but we cannot let the sisters know we're on to them. They've been intensively searching for you." Pride hinted itself in her voice. "We assuming that they haven't told the Magister they lost you."

Tessa summed up all the information in her head. A crazy felon kidnapped her for weeks and wanted her for an unknown reason. Her brother was missing. A private investigator wanted her to take care of her.

"Why did Will have to drug me?" It bothered immensely her how quickly she trusted him. Just thinking about his blue eyes and long eyelashes made her feel jumpy. They had been in the closest proximity of each other on the bike ride but it was such a blur to her now she couldn't remember what it felt like to hold him.

Charlotte looked slightly embarrassed. "Will decided to be overly cautious about our location, you know just in case you were working for the Magister. He didn't think you would agree to be blindfolded."

Tessa nodded still feeling betrayed. Did it seem like she associated herself with criminals? She moved to gather things from the bench and get dressed.

"I'll wait for you in the hallway and then I can show you where you will be staying," said Charlotte politely. The door opened for her like it did for the skeleton man earlier.

_That's too weird_, Tessa thought while stepping into her jeans.

When she reached for the knob she half expected it not to open for her but when she pulled it gave.

If Tessa didn't know any better she might have sworn she was inside Buckingham Palace. The place had hallways that led to more hallways, numerous doors, and an elevator! Who has an elevator in their home? She also noticed how empty the walls were, no family photos or paintings. It reminded her of the hotel walls where her aunt worked. Her and Charlotte were in the elevator now and according to the buttons there were 4 floors not including the garage and she wasn't sure what the "L" stood for but lobby seemed like a silly guess. She could already see herself getting lost in this building. Apparently she had been in a room on the fourth floor and were getting off on the second.

"So we'll get you settled in a room and then it should be dinner time," Charlotte said in a businesslike manner. She looked tired but didn't complain.

When the elevator doors opened there was already somebody waiting for them. The girl was young but older than her. She had bright hazel eyes, smooth skin, and a great smile. The only thing that distracted Tessa from noticing these features was the scary scar on the left side of her face. It traveled from the corner of mouth to her temple. Trying her best not to obviously stare at it, she focused on other things, like the girl was taller than Charlotte but shorter than Tessa, and her hair was a darker shade of brown. She wore a pair of really worn out jeans that looked slightly big on her and a white long sleeve. Even with the scar she was pretty.

"Miss Gray, this is Sophie, our housekeeper."

Tessa smiled and held out her hand. "Hi I'm Theresa Gray but you can call me Tessa."

Sophie smiled in return and shook her hand. Altogether they walked down the hall turned a few corners till they stopped in front of a door. Inside, the room was very similar to the one Tessa had woken up in only slightly bigger. A giant bed was aligned against the tall windows, a small couch in front of the fireplace with a plasma television hanging above, a desk area with a computer, and two doors in opposite ends of the room.

"The door closest to the bed leads to the walk in closet. The door across the room is a bathroom," explained Sophie.

"Can you set her up her without me Soph? " Charlotte asked nicely."I need to get back to my office."

"You _need_ to take a nap."

"Will do," she replied halfheartedly over her shoulder, already out the door.

"I mean it!" Sophie shot back playfully.

Tessa didn't know what to do. She had no belonging to put away so she just stood there awkwardly. Sophie went into the closet and came back out with another pair of sheets.

"Will sleeps in here every now and then so I'm just going to change the sheets on the bed."

Tessa was really started to hate how hearing his name would excite her. She was still angry at him for what he did. Her only regret was not hitting him harder with the book when she had the chance.

"He won't mind that I'm staying in here?"

Sophie shrugged and said, "Nope."

Tessa wasn't sure but something but Sophie's answer made her think she didn't favor him as well. That made two of them.

"I can change the sheets myself if you're too-"

"I got it," Sophie said nicely.

"I hope this doesn't offend you but you look really young to be a housekeeper," Tessa observed.

Sophie didn't reply but simply continued working over the bed in quick movements. She finally looked up with a thoughtful expression and told her to go sit on the couch while she finished then she would enlighten her.

Tessa sat down and closed her eyes. She had been up for less than hour but she was exhausted. Learning that you're completely alone in the world must do that to people. _Where the hell are you, Nate?_ _Please be okay. _She felt the couch shift adjusting to the added weight and opened her eyes to find Sophie sitting with her knees drawn to her chest and chin tucked in.

"I'm only telling you my story because you should trust Charlotte," Sophie started quietly. "I was in what you call a physically abusive relationship for a few years. At first I made excuses because I loved the bastard but it kept happening and worse each time. Finally I left and went to the police where Charlotte was working at the time. She helped me hide from him and after a couple weeks I thought it was over."

Tessa felt shaking from her end of the couch. She wanted to put her hand on Sophie's shoulder to calm her and tell her she could stop but she continued on.

"He found me and was waiting for me when I got home. He left me barely alive and when I woke up I had a permanent reminder of the biggest mistake of my life." Her voice remained the same hushed tone but the shaking finally stopped. "Charlotte offered me a job to work for her and come live here. I refused because I wouldn't be able to handle the violence in that type of work but then she asked me how I felt about cleaning. She and Henry needed assistance around the house because they're always busy so I accepted. I do more than clean, Tessa , but that's my official job title and that's what I've asked Charlotte to introduce me as."

What surprised Tessa the most was how monotone Sophie had been throughout her spiel. Where was the anger, hate, and pain? How did she live with this every day? Her lack of social skills was catching up because she had no idea how to convey her awe of Sophie's bravery and-

"What happened to him?" she blurted.

Sophie looked up at Tessa with pursed lips and haunted eyes. "Charlotte took care of it," she whispered.

Tessa shuddered. _Holy hell! What have I gotten myself into? Did he really deserve to die? Yes. But why not prison time?_ She turned and gazed at the unlit fireplace, trying to keep her face emotionless. The biggest headache threatened to come back. Thinking back she had never favored modern mystery and thriller novels but reading some might have come in handy right now…

"So umm… how many people live here?" she asked nervously.

Looking a bit grateful for the change in topic, Sophie smiled and replied, "There are eight of us. Henry is Charlotte's husband, Jem and Jessie who are in your age group, Agatha our cook, and Thomas who has several jobs here like me."

"Only eight? This place is super huge!"

Sophie gave a short laugh. "Yea you get used to it." She stood up and stretched her muscles after being in such a locked up position. "Come on dinner should be ready."

Even though Charlotte was in charge of this place, Tessa wouldn't be comfortable with the idea of staying unless she knew everyone was okay with it. She was anxious to meet the others and just the thought of sitting in the same table as Will made her not want to eat.

Her stomach disagreed by growling incredibly loud.

"Hungry much?" Sophie teased.

* * *

**So this is a preview of the next chapter:**

Tessa nodded at the cork board that hung on the wall behind the head of his bed, "Can I?" She really wanted to take a closer look but didn't want to irritate him any further; she had already barged into his room without permission.

Jem grinned. "Of course."

She crawled on his bed carefully trying not to wrinkle his sheets. She got near to the board as she could and sat cross legged in front of it. It was a collage of numerous concert tickets and even more photos. The pictures grabbed more of her attention because there were pictures of everyone from the institute. She had observed earlier how impersonal the hallways appeared and at dinner they barely were civil towards each other but this…this showed them as a family she didn't know they were. There was a picture of Henry and Charlotte sitting on the stairwell and holding each other looking very much in love oblivious to the picture taker. A picture of Jessie holding a bag tightly to chest with the widest smile on her face. _Wow_ s_he can actually smile_, Tessa thought. A picture of Agatha singing using a wooden spoon as a mircrophone. She tried to muffle her laugh when her eyes caught a certain photo of Will. He was stuck in between two very large muscular men with "security" written across the front of their chest; Will had the most enraged look on his face as he stared directly at the camera holding out his middle finger. _Wonder happened there. _There was a picture of Thomas and Sophie decorating a Christmas tree. A very cute picture of Jem curled into a ball, asleep in the elevator. She was trying to look at every single photo but there was no way she could in one night. There were other images of bands, orchestras, and so many other things.

Tessa looked over her shoulder and found Jem sitting on the trunk at the foot of the bed. She hadn't heard him move or aware of how long she had been staring at his board. "This is so…awesome..I mean absolutely amazing-seriously," she stuttered.

**I named this chapter** **after a song title from the band 13 Senses. Check it out...**


	4. Into the Fire

**Hey guys! hope you haven't given up on this story. thanks for the reviews :)**

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Walking down the last few steps on the stairwell, Tessa and Sophie found Charlotte in the foyer rapidly typing on her smartphone, not even looking up to acknowledge them.

"Hey Sophie, can you go look through some of Jessie's clothes and find something for Tessa to sleep in tonight and an outfit for tomorrow, now please?" Charlotte asked wearily. "I really can't get into it with her tonight."

"Oh no, I really don't mind sleeping in-"

"Tessa, believe me, she won't notice at all," Sophie chided in before turning back up the stairs.

Charlotte nodded to herself. Finally glancing up for the phone she offered Tessa a small smile, "Ready to meet everyone?"

_No not really. _"Yes."

Tessa followed her down the hall trying to take in everything around her. This floor compared to the other was decorated with a few art pieces and fresh flowers, kind of like it was trying to seem homey but failed short. They went through open double doors and she froze. It was getting ridiculous why the enormity of this place kept surprising her and for a moment she was suddenly transported back to the Victorian era. There was large wooden table that could fit twenty people in the middle room with ten matching carved chairs spaced four on each side and one on the ends, a crystal chandelier hung above, red and black tapestry hung around the windows, and white candles placed all over the room and table. It was dark and haunting in a beautiful way. Her eyes finally caught the two figures in the room. Immediately she recognized Will even though he sat at the farthest end of the table, slouched with head bent down looking at the phone in his hands. His black hair swept across his forehead with a bored and impatient look casted on his face. He wore a fitted navy blue collared shirt with the sleeves rolled up, hinting at his lean muscular frame. She felt her face heat up and hands clam up, he hadn't even noticed her yet. Finally tearing her eyes from him she looked at the person sitting closer on a chair closer to the door. The girl was stunningly beautiful in the most obvious way. Her hair was a light shade of blonde falling past her shoulders in perfect curls, she wore a plum colored v-neck sheath dress that modestly accentuated her chest, and almost all of her perfectly manicured fingers rings. Like Will, her complete attention was on an IPad right in front of her. Both seemed perfectly content ignoring each other.

Charlotte cleared her throat. "Will, you remember Miss Gray."

Will looked up from his phone with a sign of annoyance and locked his lake blue eyes on Tessa. Her heart stopped. She remembered him being angelic but her memory had not done him justice. How could she have forgotten his long eyelashes? Or how high cheekbones complemented his strong jaw? She had never had such a strong attraction to a guy. There had been boys at school that she might have called handsome or cute but this was so very different.

"I remember allowing her hit me with quite a heavy book" he replied with a crooked smile.

_He let me?! I don't think so. _She opened her mouth to disagree but Charlotte turned to where the beautiful girl sat.

"And this is Jessamine or Jessie as we call her," her voice tight from being ignored. "Jessie can you _please_ welcome our guest."

"You can all call me Tessa, I prefer it actually."

Jessie finally looked up from her gadget, not looking pleased with what she saw. Her rich brown eyes gave her a quick glance from head to toe. Tessa felt unbelievably self-conscious, she'd been wearing the same clothes for two days and her hair could really use a brush, and standing in a room with two people who could be models didn't help. "Picking up strays from the street are we now?" asked Jessie with evident dislike.

Tessa peered at Will who just rolled his eyes. "Where's Jem?" he asked, probably trying to defuse the situation before it escalated.

Charlotte deeply sighed letting go whatever she say before. "He's not feeling well."

"Shocking!" Jessie exclaimed sarcastically returning her attention to the IPad.

Her comment apparently rubbed Will the wrong way because he glanced at Charlotte making sure her back was turned, on her way to her seat at the head of the table, and flipped his middle finger right at Jessie. Without even looking up, Jessie copied his gesture back at him. By the time Charlotte sat in her seat the two participants were disregarding each other's presence once again. Tessa felt more out of her element than ever. She sat opposite of the girl, not trusting herself be close to Will. Fighting down the temptation to look his way, she focused on the elegance of the set table. There was a folded napkin placed in front of her, silver utensils were on her left and right, and a glass of water. White candlesticks aligned down the table matching the white tablecloth. It was uncomfortable not knowing what to do or say, should she offer some kind of assistance with the meal?

Just then a tall boy with wild curly hair came through a door, from the end of the room, with salad dishes in a platter balancing in his hands. He placed one in front of Will and walked over to Jessie to do the same. When he noticed Tessa he gave her the sweetest smile which she quickly returned. Silently, he went around the table placing the rest of the plates and an extra one next to Tessa.

"Thank you Thomas, may I introduce to Tessa, she'll be staying with us for some time," Charlotte sounded exhausted. "Did you call up Henry?"

Thomas answered, "Yes Ma'am", and left through the door.

With food in her face, Tessa's mouth watered with anticipation. It was a romaine and orange salad with what smelled like lime dressing. Not really caring if she was using the right fork or not, she took a small bite and bit back a moan. This was the best salad of her life. The small slices of red onion deliciously enhanced the citrus, it was just amazing. She glanced at Will and found him looking at her with amusement and concern? Whatever it was, she wasn't about to let him ruin her meal.

"Well are you going to share with us what you promised Gray to get her to stay?" Will asked bluntly, not eating his dish.

"We're going to find her brother," Charlotte replied.

A man with dark red hair came scurrying in holding a newspaper and took the seat next to Tessa. "My bloody apologizes for being late. Time just flew by." He stretched his body close to Charlotte and hastily kissed her on the cheek before beginning to eat. _Oh! This is her husband._

Tessa and everyone in the dinner table, except Jessie, stared at Henry for he had not realized a complete stranger sat on his left while he read the paper.

"Henry, is there anything different about this room?" Will mocked.

He looked up confused. Stealing a glance at his wife who just shook her head, he slowly turned his head until his hazel eyes met Tessa's. "Blimey! I thought you were Sophie," he said smiling widely.

She smiled back and drew her hand. "Tessa. Nice to meet you sir."

He shook her hand. "Henry."

They all went back to eating their salads in silence. The entire situation baffled Tessa. If they were all going to eat and not associate with each other than why didn't they eat by themselves? Or in front of a television like most Americans? This was the first meal she had not eaten alone yet she still felt lonelier than ever.

"Back to our discussion. How are we supposed go after the Magister with this little side project?" asked Will.

Charlotte stared at Will with narrowed eyes, not liking his implication of her doing a poor job. "They could be connected-"

"Oh! I've solved this case. Her brother simply abandoned her because he didn't want the responsibility. She's old enough to care for herself."Jessie said matter-of-factly while now looking away from her IPad.

Charlotte dropped her fork which echoed through the room with a loud _clink_. "Jessamine!"

Anger and hate flooded Tessa's vision. She wanted to leap out of her chair, snatch away Jessie's toy, and break the screen into a million pieces. How could she be so cruel and hurtful?

"Wait a moment…" Will started. "The wench has a point. The evidence concludes that Tessa's brother must be working with the Magister. Why haven't there been any missing reports on her? Why didn't you both come together? Why London out of all places?" His deep blue eyes blazed with chagrin.

"Stop it!" Tessa snapped at him. "There is no evidence to your ridiculous accusation. You have no idea what you're speaking about."

"When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth," he muttered looking up at the ceiling.

"You cannot be seriously be quoting Sherlock Holmes from _The Sign of the Four_, are you?!"

She had shocked him that much was obvious. His perfect lips were twitching upward trying his hardest not smile and his eyebrow raised at her. Neither of them noticing Thomas had come back to the room to collect their plates and replace them with another. Tessa would never consider Nate betraying her.

"Why not?" Will asked as if he read her mind.

"Because we're family." She tried to make her voice sound flat but it trembled. Not being able to stand to look at Will any longer, she turned to Charlotte who was staring at the both of them with an awed expression.

"We'll talk about this in the morning. Jessie, eat something please," Charlotte pleaded.

Jessie replied with a noncommittal "hmph".

Tessa's new plate had salmon cakes with a side of roasted mushrooms. The fluffiness of the fish and herby mushrooms was heavenly just like the salad she hadn't finished. Something else to add to the horrible things Will had done to her, next to drugging her and frankly accusing Nate of being an accomplice to her kidnapping.

The rest of the meal passed in complete silence. Will glanced at his phone every so often, Jessie absorbed her IPad, Henry read the newspaper, and Charlotte rested her head on a fist with her eyes shut. None of them seemed bothered by it, making it more uncomfortable for Tessa. Jessie was the first time to get up and leave without saying a word. Tessa could hear her heels on the hardwood floor well up the stairs. Shortly after, Will left as well but went through the door that Thomas kept returning from. She felt her breath come easier. Were their meals always this awkward? Maybe she could bring a book next time.

Tessa attempted to quietly rise out of her chair after she was done, but it scraped loudly instead, making her cringe. "Uh thank you for dinner. It was very appetizing," she said, clearing her throat.

"Tessa, there's a library on the third floor if you want to see. Take a left at the top of the stairs, can't miss it," Charlotte murmured with her eyes still closed.

She walked through the double doors trying to remember her way to the stairs. Without a doubt, she knew the library would be amazing. With that thought she tried her best not to break out into a run.

Tessa was speechless. The library was extraordinary in every sense of the word. The windows were high up near the ceiling. Bookshelves aligned the walls; they were so tall they had ladders on them. All furniture consisting of a few desks with set up computers and couches were set up in the middle. In a corner there was a large fireplace with two comfortable La-Z-Boy chairs placed in front. She imagined herself curling up in one with a book and a blanket. Walking to a random bookshelf, she studied the different set of encyclopedias, tons being science related. Scanning more books she realized they were printed in several languages. She passed by more shelves which included subjects like art history, chemistry, engineering, medicine, religion but she couldn't find the literature section.

"It's over here, closest to the fireplace," said a deep voice coming from one the La-Z-Boy chairs, making her unconsciously shiver.

This had been the second time he answered a question that she hadn't asked out loud and it was starting to annoy her. With as much as dignity she could muster, she walked to the shelf and found herself in Will's presence. He sat stretched out with the foot rest up, his hands folded on his flat stomach, and eyes closed looking very peaceful. Tessa turned to the book titles recognizing all her favorites Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Dickens, Homer, Austen, Steinbeck, Shakespeare, Austen, and many more. The books weren't alphabetical or in any particular order, making it seem like they were frequently used and put back randomly.

"See anything you like?" Will asked softly.

Tessa ignored him. If she didn't talk then that wouldn't allow him get a rise out of her in this sacred ground. She was trying to find _The History of the King of Britain _by Geoffrey of Monmouth. Before moving to London she read book after book on the history of Britain and she hadn't been able to finish it. Not finishing books annoyed her to no end.

"If you tell me, I can find it for you," he offered.

_Don't give in. Don't look at him. Just grab another book, _she thought.

"Are you ignoring me?" Will chuckled. "I'll just keep talking till you take say something. Are you terribly angry at me? Are you? Are you? Are-"

"Enough!" She said, trying to hide the smile out of her voice.

"Why are you upset?"

"Why do you think?" Tessa's voice shook with anger and hurt. "You insinuated my brother abandoned me and that trying to find him would be stupid." She hadn't turned to look at him which was how the words came out easier.

But he stood behind her now. She had that feeling again from the back at the library. Her mind and body hyper aware of him, it was electric in an utterly dangerous way.

"It's not personal, it's logic," he whispered, too close.

Tessa turned to face him and met his gaze. His eyes were a more sky blue than an ocean blue. She shook her head, feeling the familiar heat in her face. Standing near him was like leaning into a fire, the warmth felt nice but as some point it would start to burn.

"You're wrong. I'm going to search for him no matter what," she said, hoping to sound final.

"Why?" he asked again.

She locked her eyes on him and tried to keep her heart and breathing even. "Because I love him."

"It's a suicide mission. Can't you see? Either your brother helped the Magister or the Magister is holding him hostage and will use that against you." His tone dead flat.

Tessa didn't want to listen anymore. Those ridiculous ideas were tempting her doubt. She would never forgive herself if Nate got hurt because of her. "No."

They stared each other down. She could smell the softener from his shirt, the rain, and something else. She gnawed on her bottom lip causing his eyes to follow her movement. Thinking clearly wasn't possible with him so close. She was passing the burning point. A vibrating sound made her jump.

Will reached in his pant pocket and brought out his phone. He backed away, not happy with what was on the screen. She watched him walk to the door. He turned around and looked at her expectantly. "You are a very fine person, Gray, and I'm quite fond of you. But you really are just a little fellow, in a wide world after all."

"The Hobbit," Tessa instinctively replied. "You're full of it, Herondale."

She could hear his laugh from down the hall.

Her eyes snapped open, blinded by the lamp next to the bed. She had fallen asleep reading. There was music blasting through the walls now. Tessa was used to sleeping through loud noises from living in the city her whole life but this was coming right outside her door. She put a pillow on her face and cuddle deeper into the sheets to muffle the sound but it was getting even louder. Still half asleep, she got out of bed and went to look. The music became clearer, it was a violin melody. Nobody was outside the hall but the music seemed to be coming from the door across from her.

There wasn't any light come from under the door. Without thinking, she found herself crossing the hall and opening the door. The violin notes were rising and falling. Then it changed dramatically with what Tessa could only describe as electronic bass and drum beats. The violin and the electric rhythms began to play together, neither fighting for dominance but combined uniquely as one. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever heard. Still entranced by the music, she vaguely heard a guy's voice.

A boy turned in a large desk chair, staring at her with wide eyes. Tessa felt like a splash of cold water was dumped on her. She couldn't remember coming in but now she was inside the bedroom. It was rather dark in the room, the only light came through the widows and the big computer monitor. The boy played with some kind of remote and dim lights turned on. She could see him now. He was wearing gray sweatpants and a black long sleeve. Tessa had never seen gray eyes like his, they were silver bright. His hair was covered with a black beanie but a bit of silver blond hair escaped in the front. He was smiling at her now, the kind of smile that made your eyes crinkle.

_Oh God! Oh God! Oh God!_ She was frozen in her spot.

"Are you Miss Gray by any chance?" he asked curiously.

"Umm yes…no..I mean-call me Tessa" She babbled like an idiot. To her horror, she remembered she was wearing unbelievably tight black yoga pants that Sophie picked out, they hugged all her curves. She refused to wear a camisole shirt because it had been too embarrassing to consider, so she wore the white tank top that had been under her flannel. Her hair was still wet from the bath she'd taken earlier and now hung around her shoulders.

"I'm James Carstairs. You can call me Jem." He was still smiling at her.

Much to her surprise, his room was a lot smaller than hers. There was a large bed, a few pieces of furniture, and a door at the end of the room. What took up half of his room was his desk. There were 3 large monitors and studio equipment, the kind musicians record with. Something else that caught her eye was the collage on the wall above his bed.

"Did I wake you up?" he asked concerned. "I'm really sorry; nobody else stays on this side of the floor so I get very loud."

"Yes but I'm happy you did. I've never heard that before. What do you call it?"

"It's just something I'm working on. Trying to collaborate classical instruments like the violin and dubstep. It's too appeal to the newer generation."

"I loved it," she said shyly. "Was that you on the violin?"

Jem was pale enough that she could see the slightest hint of pink on his cheeks."Yes it was."

Tessa looked around and nodded at the cork board that hung on the wall behind the head of his bed, "Can I?" She really wanted to take a closer look but didn't want to irritate him any further; she had already barged into his room without permission.

Jem grinned. "Of course."

She crawled on his bed carefully trying not to wrinkle his sheets. She got near to the board as she could and sat cross legged in front of it. It was a collage of numerous concert tickets and even more photos. The pictures grabbed more of her attention because there were pictures of everyone from the institute. She had observed earlier how impersonal the hallways appeared and at dinner they barely were civil towards each other but this…this showed them as a family she didn't know they were. There was a picture of Henry and Charlotte sitting on the stairwell and holding each other looking very much in love oblivious to the picture taker. A picture of Jessie holding a bag tightly to chest with the widest smile on her face. _Wow_ s_he can actually smile_, Tessa thought. She tried to muffle her laugh when her eyes caught a certain photo of Will. He was stuck in between two very large muscular men with "security" written across the front of their chest; Will had the most enraged look on his face as he stared directly at the camera holding out his middle finger. _Wonder what happened there. _There was a picture of Thomas and Sophie decorating a Christmas tree. A very cute picture of Jem curled into a ball, asleep in the elevator. She was trying to look at every single photo but there was no way she could in one night. There were other images of bands, orchestras, and so many other things.

Tessa looked over her shoulder and found Jem sitting on the trunk at the foot of the bed. She hadn't heard him move or aware of how long she had been staring at his board. "This is so…awesome..I mean absolutely amazing-seriously," she stuttered. Nothing intelligent had come out of her mouth since she had come in. She couldn't imagine what he thought of her.

"Thanks, it's an ongoing project." His voice was calm which made her feel a little more comfortable. "You're from New York right? Madison Square Garden? Now that's amazing."

"I've actually never gone to a concert there or anywhere. Unless you count open mic night at a restaurant," she said lamely.

"It counts but you've seriously have never been to huge concert? That's rubbish! I'll take you to one sometime." Jem beamed at her. Something about him made her feel like he wasn't judging her and she appreciated it.

Tessa wondered how long his hair was under the hat. He was very slender too but not in a bad way. She blushed hoping it hadn't been obvious she was checking him out.

"You're staying here then?"

She turned away looking at the pictures again. "Yes, Charlotte is going to help me find my missing brother."

"You'll be safe here. I'm sorry about your brother, do you miss him?" Jem's tone was filled with compassion and concern.

Her eyes welled up with tears before she realized what happened. She was glad that he couldn't see her face. She stayed rigid, trying not to sniffle and blink the tears away. "Yea…" Her voice had croaked.

"Tessa, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to make you upset-"

Will walked in to the room. As quickly as she could, Tessa wiped her unshed tears, cleared her throat, and got off Jem's bed. Jem stayed seated on the trunk.

"Having a party without me?" Will mocked disappointment. He shot Tessa a disapproving look. She had no clue as to why.

"Never." Jem promised with one of his big smiles.

"I see you found our board of shame. I only let James keep the photos so he can wake up to my fantastic looks," Will said.

Jem coughed loudly. Tessa thought he was trying to cover up his laugh but when she glanced at him, blood gushed out of his nose, all over his mouth and hands. Will was next to him in a second, telling him to tilt his head back but Jem shot up and ran to door across the room. He slammed the door shut in Will's face.

"Jem! Let me help!" Will banged on the door. "James!"

"Should I get Charlotte?" she asked. It had all happened so fast, there hardly been time to react.

"No. Go back to your room. Don't say anything." He voice filled with venom. "For Jem, okay? Be quiet about this for him."

She nodded even though he hadn't turned to her. Closing the door behind her, she let out a long breath. Jem looked like death with the blood all over him. She crawled back to bed and thought about his beautiful music until she slipped into unconsciousness.

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**Please review! Here's a teaser of the next chapter:**

_"You didn't have to come, mate." Jem said with slight frustration. "I know how much you hate hospitals."_

_Will rolled his eyes in response. Yes he did have to come to his best friend's chemotherapy session. After last night's incident, he was on edge. Nose bleeds were terrible. They had to rush him to the emergency room one time because the blood wouldn't fucking stop. Was Jem lying to him about his symptoms? He was bloody exhausted too. Thanks to Charlotte, Tessa now resided in the room he used when Jem was having a bad night. He would wake up at any time and cross the hall to quickly check on Jem. He ended up staying up all night on that stupid desk chair._

_"How would have you gotten back home even I hadn't come?" he asked._

_Jem shrugged. "The tube."_

_He loathed seeing the IV in Jem's arm. It wasn't even helping, not really._

_"Go get something to read. Nobody passes with book carts since you made that poor girl cry." He put on his headphones that were connected to one of the many ITouchs he owned and closed his eyes._

_Will snorted at the memory. He studied Jem closely even though he knew it made his best friend incredibly uncomfortable. Jem wasn't ashamed at what the chemo had done to his body but he couldn't stand the pity. It was why he hid his balding head under a beanie all the time now._

_He picked up the ITouch from Jem's lap. The music he listened to often translated what mood he was in. Will looked at the screen and saw the band 13 Senses playing._


	5. Seeing Red

**Hey guys! thanks thanks thanks for the reviews! i can't believe anyone is reading this. **

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Charlotte was on her third cup of coffee, fighting the urge not to have a cigarette. It was an on and off relationship between them. It had been off since Jem's condition worsened, but even then the desire clawed at her. Now with Tessa in the house, it was becoming too overwhelming again. At age 24, she had the responsibility of four teenagers. Two of which reminded her every chance they got that she was not their mother and another who begged her to let him die. Henry supported all her decisions, whatever she wanted he would give her, but the guilt of holding him back from his dreams pained her. He could have won a noble prize and been filthy rich. God, he was brilliant. Why did he settle?

She suffered chronic insomnia, hence all the coffee. Her thoughts never seemed to shut down. Sleeping pills made her extremely nervous. What if one of the kids needed her and couldn't wake her? Better not chance it all. The only cure for her issue, the only lullaby in the world, was being cuddled in her husband's arms tightly. When his body was pressed up against her, with her head tucked under his chin, one strong hand on her back, and the other tracing her cheek. Henry would have her asleep in seconds. Things had become different. At some point, they let everything else in their lives come first and their marriage second. This rut in their marriage wasn't supposed to happen till they were middle aged with their own kids. Her fingers were itching now, trying to think of the closest spot she had hidden a pack. Glancing at the clock, she realized the kids would be down soon. They were all morning people and it was a curse. Sometimes it wouldn't be past 7 o'clock and Jessie would be threatening to run away, Will scowling at everything in sight, and Jem trying his hardest to swallow his down food even though he would just throw it up shortly after.

The kitchen door opened and Thomas came in with trays of breakfast food. He had a big smile on his face and a blush on cheeks which usually meant Sophie was in the kitchen. Charlotte knew his feelings were not returned. Sophie never wanted to be in another relationship because she couldn't trust herself not to get hurt again. Thomas respected her choice but he was over the moon in love with her. She secretly hoped that Sophie would give him a chance but there was no hurry.

Jem and Will silently walked into the dining room and sat next to each other on one of the sides of the table. This alerted her that something was wrong. Will's dark shadows under his eyes usually meant that last night had been tough on Jem. Charlotte badly wanted to ask what happened but she couldn't. She hoped they would come to her if they needed her. Jem made a grim expression at the food, meaning he wouldn't be eating. He would vomit it all back up after his chemotherapy session anyway.

A pair of heels tapped against the hardwood floor descending from the hallway. Jessie's demeanor had escalated the last couple weeks to an all time bad. Charlotte knew more than anything the girl wanted a normal life, go to school, have friends, and do teenager things. But she couldn't have a normal life unless she dealt with her post traumatic stress disorder. It came from losing her parents a few years ago in a fire. If Jessie were anywhere else she would be forced into therapy but Charlotte didn't push and she didn't ask questions. Their parents were practically family, it had been Jessie to come to her and ask if she could stay with her. The two of them couldn't go a day without quarreling but God willing today's assignment should make her happy.

"Charlotte? Did you hear me?" Will asked, annoyed at having to repeat himself. "What are we going to tell Gray about her brother?"

She took a pause to choose her words carefully. Will was the most perceptive person she knew and if he caught a scent that she was hiding something from the case, he would go looking for answers himself in the most dangerous places. That's how she and Will met; he was a messenger boy for the most dangerous criminals and it almost killed him. "You're not completely sure that the guy who's been following you is her brother," she reminded him.

"They look similar enough. I know it's him."

"Will, Tessa needs to find this out on her own. She is the only person who can confirm it's him," Charlotte tried to make her tone lace with authority. "And your remarks from dinner last night didn't help either."

"She should be prepared for unfortunate things, but if you're not saying anything then I won't." He noticed Jessie walking in the room and scowled at her. Those two have hated each other since the first day they laid eyes on each other.

"Good morning Jessie, I hope you slept well," Jem said weakly. He had his eyes closed and breathed deeply.

"You look like hell," Jessie replied, walking to the other end of the table. Knowing that Jem meant what he said, that was as nice as she would get.

"Jessie, would you be willing to take Tessa shopping for clothes today?" She tried not to sound too hopeful because Jessie would just reject the idea to get a rise out of her.

"No chaperons?" she asked, referring to Sophie and Thomas.

"Just you two."

Jessie's face was thoughtful just for the purpose of torture but excitement lingered in her brown eyes. All of them fell into their normal silence. _Surely one cigarette wouldn't be awful._ Henry walked through the kitchen door still looking half asleep. Charlotte's felt happiness flood in her heart like it always did when she saw him. But anger also pinched her. Henry often worked late in the night in his laboratory and he would simply sleep there. It wasn't his fault that she couldn't sleep without him. He walked around the table till he got to her and pressed his lips on her forehead. She wanted more than that. She wanted a kiss that would make her forget how badly she wanted to start smoking again because everything that came out of her mouth these days was half truths.

This was the first case that Charlotte wasn't positive she would solve and it would cost her life if she couldn't.

Tessa looked at herself in the mirror and grimaced at the choice of clothes she'd been given to wear. Not because she hated it but because she actually liked it. She was wearing black leggings, a white long sleeved shirt dress, and the most gorgeous red pea coat that hit her mid thigh. Sophie had also matched it with black knee high boots with a three inch heel but that was a disaster waiting to happen. Her red chucks went nicely with outfit anyway. She pulled her hair up in her usual ponytail, grabbed the coat, and headed out the door. Her mind kept drifting to last night's events, standing close to Will in the library and meeting Jem with his beautiful music.

She didn't want to give into self pity but the pain of having no family, no friends, and no one to love her made an awful ache in her chest. Once Nate was found, she wouldn't be alone. Tessa began to think that only the people she loved were taken away from her. How was that fair? Doesn't everyone deserve happiness and love? She shook her head as if she could physically push away the depressing thoughts. The plan was to find her brother, get the hell out of London, somehow prove she exists, finish school, and pretend this never happened. As long as a plan existed then she couldn't fall apart.

The walk was quiet as she neared the dining room. It was a bit after eight so she had no idea if the others were still asleep. When she walked in, everyone was already finishing up their meal.

"Good Morning, Tessa" Charlotte said over her shoulder. "Come sit. There's lots of food left for you."

Tessa sat down in the same chair as last night which also happened to be directly across from Will. To say he looked tired was an understatement. The dark circles around his eyes were very prominent and his eyelids looked heavy. The dark gray snap button shirt he wore made his blue eyes appear almost gray as well. He caught her stare and she looked quickly away to Jem. His eyes were closed but his hands rested on the table and his fingers twitched as if he were making music with them. She recognized that Sophie and Thomas never seemed to eat with everyone else.

"Jessie has agreed to go shopping with you for new clothes and whatever you else you might need," Charlotte sounded like she was trying very hard to sound upbeat and her smile wasn't so convincing either.

Tessa looked at blueberry muffin she had picked from a platter. Her favorite was banana but the blueberries looked very fresh. _Oh hell!_ They also happened to remind her of someone's eyes. "Um..I was hoping to go look at some places that I think Nate would have visited. Ask if anyone has seen or heard of him."

"What kind of places would those be exactly?" Will raised his brow at her, challenging her to be honest.

Her hands clenched into fist and hoped her voice wouldn't shake or come out squeaky. "Pubs, especially the ones with underground gambling. Those kind of placed."

His eyes widened just a bit at her truthful answer. "And you really think you'll get anyone to talk to _you?_ No one will take you seriously. Gray, you have no idea-"

"What Will is trying to convey is that kind of approach isn't very effective. Go shopping and tonight we'll check out some places. We know how to handle these situations," Charlotte said. "I want you to have this cell phone that has our phone numbers already programmed, just in case anything happens. Call and we'll be able to locate you." She leaned across the table to pass it to Tessa with a credit card on top. "That's what you'll use to pay for your things. I'll be in my office." Henry got up as well and followed his wife out.

Tessa put the credit card in her coat pocket and stared at the phone. It looked like an iPhone but when she turned it on the software was completely different. It automatically asked her to put her forefinger in the middle and it would copy her fingerprint which would be used as a password. She had no idea these were even invented yet.

Jessie's chair scraped loudly against the hardwood floor. "I'm going to get purse. Be in the foyer in 5 minutes," she said in a bored tone while walking away. Today, she wore a sage lace dress that showed off her toned legs and somehow made her waist look even smaller. How was Tessa supposed to hang out with her the whole day and not feel guilty for eating a delicious blueberry muffin?

"I should grab our stuff too." Will gently shook Jem's shoulder until he opened his eyes. Jem smiled thankfully at Will and nodded.

Tessa felt Jem's eyes on her while she ate and couldn't help not trying to get a glimpse of his silvery eyes. His hair was hidden away in the same black beanie. Compared to Will and Jessie, he dressed a lot more casual. He wore a black hoodie under a jean jacket, hiding his thin frame. The image of all the blood flashed in her mind and she literally bit her tongue from asking if he was okay.

"Are you looking forward to be spending the day shopping with Jessie?" He asked sincerely with a hint of humor.

She chuckled and shook her head. "No way, I have no patience shopping for clothes."

"You're in for a real treat then. She recently decided I was in dire need of a whole new wardrobe and after God knows how many shops we visited, I locked myself in a dressing room and called Will to come and get me." He grinned at the happy memory. "I forgot to ask you last night, what's your favorite musical artist?"

"I don't want to tell you." Tessa smiled and bit her lip stubbornly.

Jem laughed. "Why? Just tell me."

"No! You listen to classical stuff and you'll make fun of me…"

"I promise not to judge your taste in music. It's fine if you listen to Justin Bieber and Adele." He winked at her and a warm feeling spread through Tessa.

"My favorite artist changes a lot. Lately, I was listening to Thirteen Senses and Band of Horses. Happy?"

"Yes! I have both of those bands on my iTouch and only the greats make it on there," he said excitedly while giving her wholehearted smile.

Tessa blushed, not really understanding why. Jem radiated such compassion and acceptance to anything and it pulled at her. She knew she could stay and talk to him all day without ever getting bored.

Will walked in with black aviator sunglasses, a black bomber jacket, and a backpack over his shoulder. His mouth was pressed in a tight line. Passing Jem a pair of Ray-Bans, he asked him if he was ready.

Jem got up slowly as if his muscles were sore. He caught her eyes and waved goodbye. Will followed closely behind him without saying a word.

"You didn't have to come, mate." Jem said with slight frustration. "I know how much you hate hospitals."

Will rolled his eyes in response. Yes he did have to come to his best friend's chemotherapy session. After last night's incident, he was on edge. Nose bleeds were terrible. They once had to rush him to the emergency room because the blood wouldn't fucking stop. Was Jem lying to him about his symptoms? He was bloody exhausted too. Thanks to Charlotte, Tessa now resided in the room he used when Jem was having a bad night. He would wake up at any time and cross the hall to quickly check on Jem. He ended up staying up all night on that stupid desk chair.

"How would have you gotten back home even I hadn't come?" he asked.

Jem shrugged. "The tube."

He loathed seeing the IV in Jem's arm. It wasn't even helping, not really. Everything about this damn place taunted Will, reminding him that he was losing the person that mattered most to him.

"Go get something to read. Nobody passes with book carts since you made that poor volunteer girl cry." He put on his headphones that were connected to one of the many ITouchs he owned and closed his eyes.

Will snorted at the memory. It had been the first chemo session since the cancer came back and he snapped. He studied Jem closely even though he knew it made his best friend incredibly uncomfortable. Jem wasn't ashamed at what the chemo had done to his body but he couldn't stand the pity. It was why he hid his balding head under a beanie all the time now.

He picked up the ITouch from Jem's lap. The music he listened to often translated what mood he was in. Will looked at the screen and saw the band _13 Senses_ playing. He was familiar with them but hadn't heard of them in the longest. They were very mellow in a not depressing sort of way.

Will walked out into the stark white hallways unsure of where he was heading to. He knew everything about this stupid hospital. Surgeries were long and sitting in the waiting rooms were torture. The thought of a doctor coming up to him and Charlotte with bad news would break him. He wondered around till Charlotte messaged him to come back meaning that Jem was okay. She wouldn't tell him otherwise. He now found himself standing in front of a room in the pediatrics section. A small girl was lying in the bed with a breathing mask on her face. Jem sat at in exact same bed when they were told about his cancer. He didn't cry or yell like Will wanted to, instead he thanked the arse of a doctor and asked about his bloody options.

At least being in this God forsaken place stopped him from thinking about Tessa. He had never met anyone who recognized all his references to books. She always seemed to wear her hair up which displayed her throat in a good way, a very good way…Will shook his head, not letting his thoughts travel along that road. Charlotte was hiding something about Tessa that much he knew. Why was it only obvious that her brother was behind her kidnapping? What he could not figure out was the Magister's intentions with the girl. He knew Charlotte would ask him to take Tessa out tonight. Ignoring the feeling of excitement, he headed back to his best friend.

Tessa scrubbed her hands raw. She now understood Lady Macbeth when she spoke about blood never seeming to come clean. It all happened so fast but every detail stuck to her memory. She could still feel the stickiness of the blood and the unique smell that was hard to describe. Sitting on the edge of the bathtub, she focused on evening out her breath. The smart thing to do would be to tell Charlotte but Jessie threatened to smother her while she slept. Before she wouldn't have believed it, now she did. Closing her eyes, she tried to picture herself back in the dressing room. Jessie walked around the clothing store until there was a pile big enough in Tessa's arms and demanded her to try everything on. She had been standing in the seventeenth dressing room of the day. Looking at her new phone, she wondering if she should call Jem to come and save her or text him how bored she was. Then she felt cold metal touch her temple. She glanced at the mirror in front of her; it showed her and a tall muscular man in a suit with ski mask hiding his face in the reflection. He covered her mouth with one of his strong hands. Suddenly Jessie was in the reflection too, her hand caressing the man's neck. The blood started pouring quickly after. His weight had fallen heavy on Tessa, she turned and caught some of the blood on her hands. Jessie grabbed her arm, whispering at her that they had to leave before the next man appeared. They walked out the store through the front, Jessie yelled at the employee that the clothes weren't worth her precious time, and jumped in the first cab they caught.

Before Tessa could run up to her room, Jessie made her promise not to say a word. If she lost her shopping privileges, there would be hell to pay. What happened to the body? Had there been any security cameras? She had so many questions but no one to ask.

There was a loud knock on the bedroom door. Tessa glanced at her hands, making sure there was no blood.

"Please come in!"

An angry looking Charlotte walked in with Will behind her. His blue eyes narrowed at her face like he knew she was withholding something. _Did he just look at my hands?!_

"Is something wrong?" she asked cautiously while approaching them.

"A package arrived for you at my P.O. Box this morning." Charlotte held up a small jewelry box with a red ribbon tied around it. Her voice was furious. "They know you're here."

That didn't surprise Tessa. Because whoever 'they' were already knew where to find her today. "What's in the box?"

"Perhaps an engagement ring from the Magister?" Will teased.

Charlotte pulled out a pair of disposable gloves from her back pocket and put them on. "It could be poisonous," she muttered. She pulled the ribbon letting it fall to the floor and opened the box. Whatever was in the box clearly confused her. Will had the same expression, eyebrows furrowed and lips pinched together. Charlotte turned the box around to let her see.

Tessa gasped for air. Staring right at her was her mother's angel necklace. The one she had worn the night she died. The ache exploded in her chest. "That's my mother's…"

* * *

**Please review and something to look forward to! *cough*a kiss*cough***

"They both sharply whipped their heads to look at the space under the door, causing his lips to graze her left cheek. Her instincts had been to jump back but stayed locked in their tight position. His lips had been incredibly soft and his breath hot in the moment they made contact with her skin."


	6. Hear You Me

**Sorry Sorry Sorry this took me forever.**

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Tessa's calves were on fire as she pushed herself to run faster. At least her body had warmed up enough that she couldn't feel the cold rain as it poured down on her. Today was the third morning of her so called "training" and it was painfully exhausting. She touched the angel necklace through her sweater, making sure it hadn't fallen off or disappeared. It had become a quick habit wanting to check its presence. After Henry tested it for all types of deathly substances, Charlotte allowed her to keep it and it had been around her neck ever since. It made her feel a lot less lonelier and for that she was grateful. When she explained that the necklace belonged to her mother, Charlotte decided putting a hold on search for Nate for a few days and she agreed. With the incident in the dressing room and the necklace arriving, she finally accepted the idea that someone wanted to hurt her and it seemed personal. Agreeing to stay at the institute had been only for assistance in finding her brother but protection appeared necessary now. That had been three days ago and tomorrow night she would finally be able to go looking for Nate. Charlotte directed Will to keep her safe without asking him if he even wanted the job. He flat out refused; claiming that going hunting for information in the "downworld" with someone untrained would likely get them killed or something worse like scarring his pretty face. After many back and forths between the two, it was decided that Will would train her to what he considers acceptable enough to go with her Friday night.

The next day she woke up to her phone beeping loudly. When she read the screen it snapped her into consciousness. Will wanted her downstairs dressed in workout clothes in five minutes and not to disturb Jem. It had been four in the morning. Surprisingly, Jessie had thought to buy active wear. Then again she had bought clothes for any kind of occasion. When would Tessa need a ball gown? She didn't know but arguing had been pointless. Her work out outfit consisted of leggings which were too tight fitting and a jacket that was too much pink. Downstairs, Will barely looked at her as he quickly explained what they would be doing. They ran to Hyde Park where he proceeded to make her to do an extensive amount of pushups and lounges, then more running. She was a sweaty mess but soon grew too tired to care. Will's behavior was…distant to say the least. He exercised right along with her and only spoke to her when she held herself in the wrong position. But he never touched her. Not that she wanted him to touch her or anything. Tessa didn't want to give him the satisfaction of watching her fail, so she pushed herself harder body than ever before. It was easy to tell when she wasn't meeting his standards because his mouth would twist like he wanted to scowl and say something not nice. She would prefer if he spat out whatever he was thinking because ignoring her- yet having to spend time with her- made it feel worse. When they had said training, she thought more in the lines of hand to hand combat or weapon use but so far all he had her doing was running and exercises that made her bones feel like jelly.

It had been that reason, after her first workout, she asked Sophie if she was taught how to fight. Apparently all of them had gone through a teaching on how to defend themselves. Even Jessie, who had insisted on doing it in heels, went through the training. Tessa couldn't imagine Jessie doing anything extraneous but Sophie explained it was one of Charlotte's conditions for her to stay. Charlotte feared that with her line of work, often involving some of them, she wanted them to be safe and prepared for any kind of dangerous occurrence. With the dressing room killing situation still fresh in her mind, she asked Sophie if she could show her some moves. Now in the afternoons, Tessa would spend her time in the institute's gym with Sophie and Thomas. They were amazing instructors and she found herself looking forward to learning more defensive skills. So far, Thomas taught her how to get herself loose from tight locked positions that seemed impossible to escape. He would use Sophie as an example for some of the exercises and the feelings he had for her were undeniable. He looked at Sophie like there was nowhere else he would rather be and be with. They were adorable together, finishing each other's sentences, laughing at private jokes, and small affectionate touches. For the first time in a long time, she felt like a normal teenager when she hung out with them.

Her sides were hurting her and her lungs were protesting with every step. Tessa was pretty sure she caught pneumonia like five minutes ago. The rain had lightened up to a mist making it easier to see. The only thing keeping her going at the moment was the text she received late last night. Jem asked if she would want to join him to watch some "teli" after her workout. She hadn't seen him since the morning of going shopping with Jessie and somehow they never saw each other even though his bedroom was five feet away from her door. The workouts and defense classes left her body brimmed with exhaustion. She had fallen into a routine the past three days: wake up at four in the morning to work out with Will, come back to the institute to shower, eat, and sleep, wake up for her teachings with Sophie and Thomas, shower while the others eat dinner, read and eat, and finally sleep. A big part of her felt guilty for not searching for Nate and the other part argued that she was doing this for him. Charlotte had promised tomorrow night they would go looking.

Tessa could see Will leaning against a tree up ahead of her which meant that her five miles were over. It really wasn't fair that he could still look handsome in just blacks running pants and a dark gray hoodie. The rain also seemed to enhance the darkness of his hair and the pinkness of his lips. She slowed down once she was ten feet away from him. He was on his phone, probably calling Thomas to come pick them up like he had the past few days. She focused her attention on the grass while trying to control her ragged breath. A hand holding a bottle of water came into her line of vision, making her look up.

"You're getting faster," Will said, in an unimpressed tone.

Tessa nodded, taking the water carefully from his hand. She gulped it down greedily, knowing it was bad to do so but her body felt hot despite the cold weather.

"But still not under 45 minutes," he added.

She shrugged in response. _Now he wants to talk?_ Without thinking about it, she opened her mouth. "Why do even care? I'm here doing everything you say. In the freaking rain!"

Will's lips twitched upward like he was trying hard not laugh but his eyes were. "Freaking?" His mood shifts were what she couldn't keep up with. How did he go from disregarding her existence to poking fun at her? It was confusing…and annoying.

Tessa rolled her eyes and scowled at his direction. "Can you just go back to ignoring me now?"

"I'm not the one doing the ignoring. You're the one who doesn't show up to dinner because you're getting trained by others who aren't _me _last time I checked." His voice grew serious, lacing with disapproval.

Tessa could only stare at him in shock. She wasn't sure how he had found that out but was slightly satisfied that it bothered him.

"All you have me doing is running. If I'm in terrible danger, shouldn't I be learning how to protect myself?" she asked, with all the bravery she could muster.

Will stepped away from the tree and closer to her. Something fluttered in her stomach and she scolded herself for still having a weakness to his looks especially those blue ocean eyes. She still couldn't understand how she went from finding guys moderately attractive to a full blown overwhelming attraction to one specific guy. Sure some male celebrities were insanely handsome but with all the photoshop in the media, they seemed too good to be true. She also hated the fact that after that grueling run, she buzzed with energy at Will's nearness.

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Do you feel like you're in terrible danger?" His voice was soft but still serious.

"Yes." Although not for the reason he assumed. She felt in danger when Will was around her. Before she never cared if a guy thought she was pretty or smart, never cared if they were impressed, and never cared if they ignored her. But with him she found herself caring and that scared her. She had to focus on getting her life back not some beautiful distraction.

"I'm building up your speed and strength. What's the point of knowing how to fight if you're not quick?" He had that expression again, daring her to answer his rhetorical question. "You want some advice Gray? If you're in trouble, run and run fast."

Tessa had him talking at the moment but could tell he didn't want to. His silence these days said as such. Will wasn't interested. She had so many questions for him about books, Jem, and the institute; they were begging to be asked out loud but she knew the beautiful boy in front of her would offer no answers. Fatigue began to spread through her legs and she shivered from the frosty London air.

Will still stared at her with a weary gaze, waiting for her response to his advice. She looked away from him and up to the dark gray sky.

"There's a hole in the world, like a great black pit, and the vermin of the world, inhibit it, and it goes by the name of London," she recited in a half whisper and smiled at the clouds.

He wouldn't talk to Tessa in words but quotes seemed to be a game of his and she wanted to prove that she could play. She could tell by the expression on Will's face that he was searching around his mind to recognize her quote.

"That's not from a book," he said finally, with a slight uncertainty.

She shook her head at him. "It's not."

They both noticed the sleek black BMW several feet away and walked towards it with a large gap in between them. Once in the car, Will would ride in front with Thomas and she would ride in the back.

"Tell me." He turned around with an impatient pout, before they reached the car.

She shook her head at him again with a smirk and walked by him.

For a moment, Tessa stood on the doorway leading into the living room. She had only been in their once just to see it. Similar to all the other rooms in the building, it was incredible large yet simple with white walls, a medium grand piano in a corner with an empty violin stand next to it, a plasma television hung above the fire place, and a big long burgundy sofa, the "L" shaped looking kind in the middle with an antique coffee table in front of it. The strange yet interesting thing about the room was that it didn't have any windows because of the way it faced in the institute, so the light came from little pockets on the sides of the floor that lit up to different brightness ranges. She stared at the back of Jem's head well more like his black hat, wagering if she should even bother with her plan to get some answers to her burning questions.

As if he felt that he was being observed for too long, Jem turned to look back at her. Immediately she met his luminous silver eyes that only express a happy gentleness. Her lips curved into a smile matching his.

"Tessa." His voice was soft and quite. "What are you doing standing there? Come sit," he said while gesturing at the space next to him with his jaw.

Not wanting to seem excitedly eager to talk to him, she walked a slow pace. "What are you watching?" Tessa asked curiously, finally noticing the screen. There was an old Asian man being interviewed and the language wasn't English but it had translated subtitles.

"It's a documentary called _Jeri Dreams of Sushi. _It's about a man who's been making sushi his whole life and apparently it's the best in the world," Jem replies with respect in his tone.

Confusion and amusement sketched on her face. "You really find this interesting?" She had made herself around the sofa and tried to decide quickly if she should sit right next to him or leave a cushion between them. She went for the latter.

He gave a small chuckle and looked at her sideways. "Yes…that man is completely passionate about his work. He never stops trying to better his technique. The dedication is absolutely incredible."

She could hear the awe in his voice. "And that's how you feel about music right?" Maybe if she kept asking questions then they could lead to the one's she was dying to ask.

"Not really. I love music but I can't make it my whole life." Jem's face turned a little sad and regretful, like he wished he could be wrong.

They fell into a comfortable silence and watched the film. Not the same kind of silence as with Will. That type of silence felt suffocating. But this silence was peaceful and relaxing.

After a couple minutes Jem asked, "How's the training going?"

Tessa let out a short groan. "I swear he's trying to kill me. All he has me doing is running around the park for miles. I've never been so sore."

He snorted but turned to look at her with a sympathetic look. "He knows what he's doing. I mean, he trained almost everyone here so just trust his advice because he won't push you past your limit. I have some pain relief medicine that works wonders on muscle soreness, if you would like." Jem offered in a soft voice.

"Thanks." She grinned at him. It was time for her to bit the bullet. _Now or Never_. "Hey can I-"

"I have something-"

They both broke out in quite laughter.

"Ladies first," Jem said.

"Nope. Elders first," she teased.

"Calling me old? Just for that I _will _go first," he said in false annoyance. He reached into the pocket of his navy blue hoodie and pulled out something that hid in the fist he made. "I thought you might like this." His voice had turned a little shaky and low. "If you don't want it, that's okay too…"

Jem held his fisted hand across the cushion. Tessa placed an opened palm hand under it, wondering what he could give her that was so small. Next thing she knew, an IPOD nano rested on her hand. It was one of the newer models with a tiny touch screen on it. A pair of earphones were plugged in and tied in a neat bundle.

"Just in case you felt like listening to something-"

"You programmed music into it?" Even though Jem had moved his hand away, hers still stayed open flat at the same spot.

"Yes. I put plenty of Thirteen Senses and Band of Horses." His tone was nervous. She noticed his fingers were twitching as if they were on an invisible instrument. The fact that he had remembered the bands she mentioned days ago made her happy in a way she wasn't sure she could describe. "The rest I thought you might be interested in…I can delete it if you're not."

She closed her hand around the music device and held it close to her chest. "I already love it. I can't wait to use it on my morning runs." It would most definitely keep her distracted from Will and she was honestly excited to see what music Jem had personally picked out for her.

His smile was shy and some pink had flooded in his cheeks. He cleared his throat before saying, "Your turn."

"I'm sorry?"

"You started to say something before I rudely interrupted you and in return you called me ancient," he teased.

"I did not call you ancient," she replied half laughing but got seriously very quickly when she realized what she was going to ask. "Well I wanted-I mean can I ask you something kind of personal?" Tessa looked at his hands rather than his face.

"Of course." Jem smiled warmly at her and patted the cushion between them. "Sit closer so I can stop yelling."

Tessa moved and sat cross legged sideways so she could face him instead of the television. At a closer space, she could notice the bags under his eyes and his breath was a bit loud. He looked weak and tired. But from what, she had no clue.

"Uh I was just ... wondering how you and Will came into Charlotte's guardianship?" It was easy to meet his silver eyes because they never expressed anything but utter gentleness and patience. They sucked her in.

Jem didn't answer right which made her nervous. Had she crossed the line? She knew it had been a gamble to ask.

He let out a deep breath through his nose and stared at Tessa with a half smile. "About 9 years ago Will and I lived in an orphanage, that's where he and I met. We stayed there for 6 years. Nobody was interested in adopting us and honestly we weren't hoping to. He and I had each other and that was enough. Will had these plans of living on our own once were 16 years of age, getting our own flat and doing whatever we wanted. He gambled some and caught the attention of some powerful bad guys. I don't know much about the type of jobs he had when working for them but he made loads of money. Our plans seemed to become closer to reality." He paused to catch his breath. Tessa hadn't even noticed when he stuffed his hands in the pockets of his sweater. "Will got caught listening in on a conversation that definitely wasn't meant for him to hear. You see, there was going to be a major drug transaction but for it to run smoothly there was going to be a shooting arranged at some festival, as a distraction. They wanted him dead for learning information. Then we found out abou-I mean the circumstances changed. Charlotte was working to bust this case and she cornered Will from what I understand. They came into an agreement that he would give up what he knew and in return she would protect us both. We thought she would move out of London but instead she asked us to move in to the Institute and work for her. I dunno, I think she saw something in us for her to do that. We've been her ever since."

Jem's expression was grim and she blamed herself for that. "What do you mean she saw something in you two?"

"Everyone in this institute comes from a tragic place. We're not normal. But we fight our demons every day." His tone was distant and it reminded her too much of Will. "Does that make any sense?"

Tessa nodded in response. "What did you do these past few days?" She asked hoping to make the conversation light again. The movie was long forgotten now.

"I slept a lot." He grinned looking at her again.

She had a feeling that it wasn't a lie but not the whole truth either. "Are you still tired?" she asked slowly with her head cocked to the side. "Are you feeling ill?"

Jem copied her and cocked his head as well. "Yes. Sometimes." He was curious about what she was getting at.

The fact that he wasn't elaborating his answers let her know he didn't want to talk about it and whatever "it" was but he wouldn't lie if she asked. There were more questions but he just admitted to be tired and she was too.

Slowly but surely she was learning more about the mystery of this place and the people who lived in it. Specifically, the two boys who seemed to be occupying more of her thoughts than she would like.

Tessa moved and sat back against the couch, right next to Jem. She looked sideways at him and found that he was staring at her so intensely, like he was trying to silently communicate with her with his silver eyes. They seemed to say, _I want to trust you_.

She gazed back and hoped he could read in her eyes, _You can_.

He looked away first. She tried to focus on the film but couldn't. Tomorrow she would go out with Will to look for her brother and it her emotions were all over the map. Without permission, her lids closed and she was asleep.

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**Again i'm sorry this took really long to do but it seemed like all the parts in my life were demanding attention. I will be updating again tomorrow or sunday! i promise :) teaser**

Tessa always thought jealousy brought out people's anger but did it also make them feel like they were suddenly insignificant too? She scolded herself for feeling hurt watching Will flirt with that woman. His advice had been to _run and run fast_ when she was in danger, and that's what she had to do. She needed to run far away from him because the influence he had over her was becoming unbearable.


	7. These Boots Are Made For Walkin'

**Technically it's Monday but it's barely past midnight so just as promised :) Thanks for those who review! means a lot**

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"Just take a quick peek." Sophie tried bargaining her to open her eyes and look at the reflection in the mirror.

"I can't…" Tessa didn't have to look at herself to know the enormity of ridiculousness that was her appearance. It had been made an all day event to get her ready for tonight. Apparently she couldn't go looking like her normal self in case she got recognized and it was overall better for nobody to remember her face.

The first step in her makeover was her hair. The brown wavy locks were temporary dyed jet black, which Sophie assured her would easily come off with a particular shampoo, and straightened flat. Her hair was long but having it straight now, it grazed at her waist line. The next step was her face. Tessa never wore makeup so all the foundations, blushes, eyeliners, and everything else confused the hell out of her. She could literally feel the weight of all the beauty products on her face. Not touching her face was something she had to remind herself of doing because it would mess up her friend's hard work. Her gray eyes were now a dark green with a courtesy of contacts. Trying to put them had been extremely difficult and hilarious. Every time Sophie's finger got too close to her eye she would begin to blink rapidly, causing them both some serious frustration.

The clothes were something she never imagined herself wearing. Not only had the dress and shoes already been chosen for her to wear but also her intimates. It was the most uncomfortable feeling for her to wear a strapless black lace bra with matching panties and having other people know it too. The black dress had a sweetheart bust and it was a tube style dress, meaning that it tightly hugged every inch of her body. The hem line was barely mid thigh. Definitely the shortest thing she could remember wearing. But the dress had nothing on the boots she currently had on. They were black leather, over the knee, and with an outrageous 6 inch heel. The saying, "hooker heels" flashed in her mind. She had been practicing wearing them all day and her feet were aching more than when she would finish her morning work outs. The whole ensemble was too much and it was why she couldn't look at herself in the mirror.

"Tessa, you have to see how bizarre it is that you look so very different." Sophie tone hinted of pride. Not that Tessa blamed her for it. They had been working on this for hours.

"I feel ridiculous and if I look I'll just psych myself out." She hoped her friend would understand that she wasn't going to budge on this.

Taking in a deep breath, she stood up from the bench that she had been sitting on for the past few hours. The feeling of relief from being able to stand lasted for a second until she felt her all her weight be supported at the front of her feet. Tessa was going to in need of a miracle for her to pull them off all night. She kept her line of vision straight ahead because if she looked down then she would notice again how short her dress was and how high her boots were.

"It's almost 9 o'clock; Will will be waiting for you downstairs by the time we get you down all those stairs." Sophie said in a cheery tone.

A groan escaped her lips. "Can we please please take the elevator?"

Sophie laughed at her obvious misery. "Sure."

Tessa couldn't take a step without her heels clicking on the floor. It made her feel like she was being super loud in this quite building. She was repeating the mantra _step step don't fall_ in her head. The closer she and Sophie got to the foyer, the louder the voices she had been hearing became. She recognized Charlotte's first and then Will's. Her feet planted themselves firmly on the ground. There was no way she could allow him to see her this way, with cleavage showing and nothing to cover her arms, at least her legs were hidden by the boots and the God awful dress. Would he laugh at her appearance? Tell her she's being absurdly idiotic?

"Is something wrong?" Sophie had just noticed that she wasn't walking along beside her. Tessa didn't know how to answer but seemingly her face said it all. "This is why I wanted you to see yourself. This costume isn't you. It can all be taken off when you come back. You just have to pretend." Her voice was soothing and it calmed some of the nerves.

Sophie had a point. This was simply a character that she had to play in order to get a step closer in getting her brother back. Tessa would do anything for him even if it meant dressing up like a prostitute. Or maybe she could pretend it was Halloween. Girls used that holiday as an excuse to dress as slutty as possible and hardly anybody judged. Her feet were walking again but her palms were getting sweaty and her heart was threatening to beat out of her chest.

They turned the corner and there he was. Will was dressed similarly to when they first met at the library, with the black jeans, leather jacket, and combat boots. This time he added a white button up shirt under the jacket. Her heart gave no intention that it would slow down. Finally, Charlotte stopped talking to him and turned to face her. The shocked expression on her face made Tessa cringe with embarrassment.

"Eerie…Sophie you did an amazing job. I wouldn't have recognized her myself if she passed me by." Charlotte was pleased to say the least.

Tessa had been staring at the floor avoiding their judging eyes.

"Hey," said Charlotte in a calm voice. "You don't have to do this if you don't want to. I promised we would help you so you don't have to involve yourself." Tessa looked up and met her eyes, which were filled with worry.

"No. I want to do this…" she replied in her most assuring tone.

From the corner of her eye, she saw Will shift something on his arms and stretch his arm out trying to pass it to her. "Here, put it on." She was used to him sounding distant but this time it was laced with something else she couldn't identify. Turning to look at him, she realized with the heel she was exactly his height, if not slightly taller. She took the jacket and put it on grateful to have more clothing covering her exposed skin. It was a dark blue bomber jacket and fitted to exact measurements, there were zippers on the sleeves and a diagonal one in the front. She actually loved it.

"On second thought, I think I should go," Charlotte said nervously.

"No." Will replied, with a sigh. "We'll be fine."

"At the first sign of trouble. Call. Me." Charlotte glared at him. "I'm serious."

Will ignored her and walked out the door. Tessa looked at Charlotte, who simply nodded at the open door. Will was only a few feet ahead over her but she didn't bother to catch up because her shoes wouldn't let her. Walking on gravel was ten times harder than practicing on wood floors. When she walked through the gate, she couldn't have felt more pleased. They were taking the car and not Will's bike. He opened the car with the remote and she reminded herself that here they drive on the opposite side. She wasn't going to give him the opportunity to make her seem stupid. Getting in the seat without her dress riding up was going to be a mission to say the least. She opened the door and faced away from the seat, pressed her knees tightly together and her hands held the sides of her dress, and slowly sat down. When she touched the seat, she turned rightly in the seat and closed the door. She glanced sideways at Will, who looked at her both annoyed and amused all at once. Finally, he shook his head and turned on the car.

Will drove exactly how he rode his bike, extremely fast and wary of traffic. After a few minutes, he turned on the radio and classical string music began to play, reminding her of Jem. Maybe it did too for Will because he left it on instead of changing it.

Tessa watched the streets become more grungier and dangerous looking the more they drove on.

"You look a tad pale, Gray." Will observed in a bored voice.

She shrugged in response thinking about a certain song that the string music had reminded her of. Jem had downloaded _Bittersweet Symphony_ by The Verve on her Ipod but more specifically in the 'Will' playlist. He had organized the music in playlists named after each person from the institute. It was awesome and she had only been through Will's playlist. She wondered why Jem chose that specific song for him.

With one hand, Will opened the small compartment between the seats and reached in for something. What he brought out were small pieces of Ghirardelli chocolate.

"Have one." He offered.

Tessa shook her head at him. "I hate chocolate."

Will expression turned horrified. "What kind of person doesn't like chocolate?"

"I prefer jellybeans." She turned to give him an overly sweet smile.

He rolled his eyes and gave a small sound of disgust. "I hate jellybeans."

She was about to break her promise to Will about not talking. For the past half hour, they had been sitting at the bar in complete silence and it wasn't boding with her anymore. The place they were in was shady in every sense of the word. It was in a rough looking neighborhood but strangely the area surrounding the place was empty. Inside, there was a few pool tables, a couple tables and chairs, and the bar area. She noticed that the big mirror in front of the place was a one way mirror, inside they could look out but someone wouldn't be able to look inside. The air smelled like cheap alcohol and tobacco. It was definitely the kind of place Nate would be in but the fact was that the place was nearly empty except for some big guys that were playing a game of pool. They were huge actually.

When they had first come inside, Will went up to the guy behind the bar and they exchanged a few words in a low voice. Then he had told her to sit in a stool. That's all that had occurred and it was starting to make her agitated.

"What the hell are we doing?" she asked in a whisper but looking at the bar tender, who was leaning on the far end of the counter and staring at his phone.

Will scowled at her. "So much for promising not to talk."

"We've just been sitting here." She hated to admit this. "I don't understand what we're doing."

"Those guys playing pool behind us are security for the men who come to gamble. They're upstairs with even more security."

That made some sense. The place they were in was way too dull to actually be considered a running business. "Don't we look very suspicious being here?"

Will shrugged and replied in a tight voice, "I might have been here a few times pretending to be an heir to a rather large fortune."

"And they _believed_ you?"

He smirked at her disbelief. "I had the money to prove it. They thought I would be an easy bet."

Tessa nodded, still not looking at him. "I'm pretty good at cards myself…" It was true. Nate needed someone to practice with and at least she could keep him home if she played against him.

"Oh really?" Will's asked, in a doubtful tone. "Care to-

Just then a tall slim woman with long perfectly curled blond hair, wearing a metallic one shoulder dress that barely covered her bum, came through behind the bar and spoke to the man. He began to mix some drinks together.

"Stay here. I'll be right back."

Will walked to the end of the bar next to the attractive woman. Tessa couldn't help but stare at the two. She couldn't hear what he was saying to her but the woman was now casting a dirty look her way. He caught her gaze across the bar and leaned in closer to the blondie to whisper in her ear and she giggled in response. Were they laughing at her? The blondie was now talking to him and it was obvious she was charmed with Will's looks. He was looking pretty charmed himself as well.

Tessa's stomach dropped when he pet the blondie's hair and tucked the hair that fell in her face behind her ear. Tessa always thought jealousy brought out people's anger but did it also make them feel like suddenly insignificant too? She scolded herself for feeling hurt watching Will flirting with that woman. His advice had been to run and run fast when she was in danger, and that's what she had to do. She needed to run far away from him because the influence he had over her was becoming unbearable.

The bartender handed the woman her drinks in a small platter. She took it and left but not before licking her red lips and winking at Will. Tessa felt sick. She didn't sign up to watch him hit on other females. Will returned to his seat next to her.

"What?" he asked her, with his eyebrow raised.

"Nothing."

"Then why are you making that face?"

Tessa rolled her eyes at him. "I just can't believe I've been sitting here for the past hour, to watch some silly girl fall for your tricks."

"My tricks?" He sounded entertained by her irritation.

"You know what I mean, the-

"Polisen!" The bartender loudly stated.

Tessa didn't know what that mean but it sounded awfully familiar to police. She watched the guys who had been playing pool uniformly walked to go behind the bar.

"Dammit," said Will. "Let's go."

"Why? We haven't done anything." What could they possibly get in trouble for? It wasn't like the country was strict on underage drinking.

"Charlotte doesn't like them knowing our business." They were walking behind the bar where there was a small kitchen and a dreary hallway leading to other hallways. Will appeared like he knew where the exit was located so she followed close behind him.

"Hey you!" Someone yelled angrily.

Tessa looked over her shoulder to find the blondie from earlier standing next to a tall angry looking man in a suit, standing only a couple feet away.

"I heard you were questioning my girl about some information you shouldn't be sticking your fucking nose in." The man's big security guys were right behind him.

She felt Will grab her jacket sleeve and they took off running down another hall. The sounds of footsteps were close behind her. She couldn't see any door that would lead them outside.

"Here." Will stopped in front of a wall with cupboards and shelves built into it. He opened the door and tried to push her inside.

"Will! We won't fit!" she whispered loudly to him. There was barely any room for her. If she had to guess the measurement of the space, it was six feet high and two feet in width. She couldn't even stand straight.

"Shut up. They'll hear us." He squeezed himself in and closed the door behind him.

They were pressed together in every way. Her legs were tangled in between his, her chest against his, and her hands were over his shoulders holding herself up against the wall behind him. It must have been the broom closet because there was something digging into her back and she was stepping on a mop head. Tessa closes her eyes and tried to calm her breathing. She wasn't ready to fight against those guards so running was the only option at this point.

Her breathing wasn't slowing down and her heart was double timing. She couldn't concentrate on anything but being so physically close to Will even with the danger right outside the door.

He cleared his throat which sounded a bit loud to her but only because his face was next to hers. "Are my 'tricks' working?"

"What?"

"It's pitch black in here so you can't see my face." He was talking lowly in her ear, making her want to shiver in response. "Are my 'tricks' working on you?"

He was teasing her but she couldn't help but revel in the feel of his body and his scent. "Nope" She had hesitated which was a clear indicator of a lie.

He pulled his face back so it was right in front of hers, at least it felt that way. "Oh really, Gray?"

She could feel his breath on her face. They were so close…

Footsteps passed right in front of the door causing them both two turn their heads to look causing Will's lips to graze hers for a split second. Tessa froze but felt Will flinch back. A shadow passed by the door again and the noise of their steps faded away.

Tessa couldn't get any air in her lungs. Did that count as a kiss? He had been flirting with her right before, but that was more teasing than anything else. His lips had been so soft. A big part of her wanted to do it again.

"Tessa…" Will whispered.

She was in too much shock to reply. All of a sudden his hand was on her neck and it felt blistering hot.

Slowly, she pulled her hand back from the wall behind him to place on his neck too.

A loud ringing made her jump and almost slip. She felt Will rummage through his pockets and pull out his phone. The bright light made her blink.

"Oh fuck," he said in an anxious tone. "Someone is breaking into the car."

Will untangled himself from her and opened the door. Tessa had the biggest urge to make sure her dress hadn't ridden up. All of sudden she felt the familiar tug on her sleeve and took off in a run behind the boy who maybe-not really kissed her.

* * *

**I know this chapter was a hell of a lot shorter than the previous ones but it's easier and faster for me to update. i know i've strayed away from the original story but hopefully not too much. please review! that would be awesome. **

**so we'll be meeting a certain Lightwood next :)**

**Have a nice monday! (i fucking hate mondays)**

**HAVE A HAPPY HALLOWEEN! eat shitloads of candy! **


	8. Let Your Heart Hold Fast

**Special thanks** to Efelei for commenting again and giving me the push i needed to finish this chapter. I was giving up because i hadn't posted in forever due to going to school with a fucking quarter system and i didn't really think anyone would still want to read this. I'm really sorry and for those still reading thank you! thank you! thank you! i'm on break and i plan to update as much as i can :) **HAPPY HOLIDAYS!**

* * *

Sophie sat on the floor with piles of folded laundry all around her. Having to help Tessa the entire morning and afternoon had put her behind schedule. Not that she had minded though. Tessa's company was extremely pleasant compared to some of the others in the institute. It was obvious the girl's curiosity heighted with each passing day but was smart enough not to ask outright. Sophie was also relieved that even though she had to share a piece of her disastrous past, Tessa had not treated her with the fragileness that comes from being a victim. Talking about _him _again came at a price. She had been reliving those awful days in her sleep. He was gone but he still had this hold over he that she couldn't escape. It wasn't fair. Then again there was no such thing as fair in life. If life was fair then Jem wouldn't be dying, Tessa would be with her family, and Charlotte wouldn't have an overwhelming amount of responsibility weighing on her shoulders.

Deep in thought, Sophie jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She whipped around to find Thomas trying his best not to laugh at her skittishness. He held a white bad with a logo that read "Silver Dragon" which happened to be her favorite Chinese food restaurant. She had not realized it before but she was starving and was now practically salivating at just eyeing the bag.

"I thought you might be hungry." He teased by swinging the bag of tantalizing smells at her face level.

"Give it." She grabbed the bag as he let go. Thomas shuck off his shoes and jacket and sat crossed legged right in front of her, in the middle of all the heaps of laundry. Sophie didn't have to guess the contents of the take out containers because they always chose the same thing. She lined them up between them and gave him a pair of chopsticks.

"Thanks for this," she said gratefully while she opened the container of sweet and sour chicken. "You're amazing…"

Thomas shrugged like it wasn't a big deal but his eyes were troubled. "I guess you seemed a distant these couple days."

She froze in the middle of chewing a piece of chicken and looked at his anxious face. Had she been distant? They saw each other for Tessa's lessons but other than that they had been doing their own thing or so she thought. Sophie would never intentionally want to pull away from him. "I'm sorry."

He finally met her gaze and offered a shy smile. "It's okay. Now pass over that delicious food."

They fell in to comfortable conversation consisting mostly of the people in the building. "Have you noticed Charlotte and Henry are spending less time together than usual?"

Sophie nodded unhappily. "I'm not even sure they're even sleeping in the same room let alone eating together." It definitely reflected Charlotte's erratic mood. She couldn't say anything about Henry because normal for him was never leaving the lab unless necessary. She thought Charlotte fit under necessary. Their marriage was baffling yet incredibly sweet. They were extremely focused on their individual work but always made an exception for one another. At least they had until recently.

"This magister case has everyone on the edge." Thomas signed, "I wonder how Will and Tessa are doing right now. I really should have gone. Knowing Will something is bound to happen and who will help-"

"He brings it upon him himself," she blurted.

Thomas shook his head at her. "You have never given him a chance."

"I don't have a reason to. He's irresponsible, curt, and not to mention his narcissistic tendencies-"

Her best friend cut her off that time. "Not with Jem.

That was true and Sophie couldn't argue against the statement. She had seen Will strike everyone in the institute with just his use words but never on Jem. He was Will's only weakness.

"Well I just hope he doesn't abandon Tessa like he does with you," she said a little too venomously. A memory of earlier tonight came to mind. She had never seen the expression Will had worn when he saw Tessa walking towards him and Charlotte. It could be passed as a blank expression but there was something looming there. Sophie didn't really believe he would desert Tessa. The reason Will left him was because he knew Thomas could always defend himself.

Thomas gave her a hard look, like he was telling her he didn't want to argue about Will anymore. "I received a letter today."

"From Cyril?" she assumed.

He nodded with a smile that reached his eyes and filled her in the context of the letter. His brother was away at a university and although he had met a lot of good people, it wasn't where he wanted to be. But Thomas was stubborn about him attending because he wanted Cyril to have "more" in life. Sophie thought it was more of assuring his brother's safety.

"He begged me to come visit…again," he said with his head bowed forward and in a tone that washed all the happiness from the past few minutes. She cleared away the food in between them off to the side and crawled to sit next to him. It caused her a physical ache to see her confidant in pain. She placed an arm around his shoulder and leaned in closer to whisper, "We will, I promise. Not today, not tomorrow but soon."For once Sophie's touch hadn't relaxed Thomas' tense state and she began to fear that this issue was bigger than she had assumed.

"They need us here. They always need us here." His words were gaining steam and becoming more agitated. "Who would make sure Henry steps out of his office every couple days? Who would drive Agatha to buy things? Who would keep everyone from murdering one another?" He finally exhaled a breath of air and silenced himself. Sophie stayed silent too.

"I love this job. I love being here..." he reasoned.

Sophie rested her head on his shoulder."I know."

"I just miss him is all."

Her throat felt tight and her eyes were threatening to tear up. Life was never fair. She cleared her throat and said, "Tomorrow you and I will go out and have some serious fun. This place can go one night without us. Okay?"

She felt him nod and removed her arm from her shoulder, but not before giving him a squeeze. Relief spread through her when she noticed the small smile on Thomas' lips.

"We forgot the fortune cookies," he muttered. He leaned over to where the bag was and retrieved them from inside. Holding them in front of her, he said, "Choose."

Sophie always got a tad excited when choosing a fortune cookie. It wasn't so much as she believed in the words they predicted but more of the fact that they could say anything. She picked her cookie, brought it out of the plastic, and cracked it in half.

She read out loud, "_Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there_."

Immediately after, Thomas read, "_Soon you will be sitting on top of the world_."

They both chuckled at their fortunes and stayed on the ground talking about nonsensical things, not ready to get up and continue working. Shortly after, they heard running footsteps and a door being slammed open.

The noises were nothing new to them. "Will and Tessa must be back."

* * *

If it weren't for Will's tight hold on Tessa's wrist she would have dropped to the ground and ripped off the torture devices known as boots. Running in them was surprisingly easy, as long as she kept her balance and avoided thinking about the tall skinny heel. They were making their way back to where Will had parked the car earlier. She hadn't even seen one police car pass by.

"You have got to be kidding me right now," Will hissed at the dark, staring straight ahead of them. He skidded into a slow halt allowing Tessa to right herself.

All she could see was fog and more fog. She noticed his grip on her wrist was missing. His angry expression confused the hell out of her. "Umm what are-", her voice came out in a whisper.

Will ignored her and stalked into the fog with his fixed glare. She quickly followed behind him just in case. In case of what, she didn't know. Squinting into the darkness she tried to get a glimpse of what Will was seeing. There was nothing but suddenly there was. A shadow leaned against the car and she could only make out that it was a person. Her instincts yelled at her to run. This could be a trap and Will wasn't walking away from danger.

The closer they got to the car the more clearer the shadow became. It was a man in a gray suit. He was tall with bony features: a hook nose, red rimmed hollow eyes, sunken cheeks, and a sharp jaw. His hair was gray and Tessa wasn't sure if it was the weather or his clothes but his skin looked a little gray too. The man's green eyes were boring into Will's with an amused smirk on his lips.

Will finally stopped a few feet away from the man. If he didn't tell her what was going on her heart was to explode from beating so hard or she was going to throw up.

"Does Charlotte know where you are?" the man asked in a condescending tone. "Don't want mother to worry."

Will rolled his eyes and shrugged the comment off. "Benedict." All the traces of anger gone from his face. "You didn't have to go through all this trouble just to see me," he said in a sickly sweet voice.

"It wasn't you that I need to see," the man countered. "I'm looking for someone-"

A movement in the car caught Tessa's attention. She looked into the back window and realized someone was inside. A pale face with piercing green eyes stared at her. Will hadn't notice the girl in the car. She stepped closer to the car, not sure what to make of the situation. The girl wouldn't break their gaze but there was fear and curiosity in them. Tessa raised her hand tentatively, not completely aware of what she was doing. The girl mirrored her actions as well. _What the…_It hit her like a splash of cold water. _Oh my god! I'm her! That's me! _She touched her cheek and hair, not wanting to believe it was her reflection. _I look..look like.._

"I'm not a fool, William. The girl standing next to you, who appears to be on the verge of some sort of a meltdown, is Theresa Gray," Lightwood demanded.

Will spared Tessa a glance. "I think it's time someone got their eyes checked for cataracts," he replied tauntingly. "It's all part of aging really."

Their voices felt distant to her. It all suddenly felt ridiculous. Living at the institute with a bunch of strangers, crushing on a guy who she knew nothing about, and dressing up like a damn slut_. Oh Nate…you just had to run away to England. _

"I'm not discussing this with a child. I'll just drop Charlotte a visit," Benedict said. Tessa finally looked at the suited man and noticed he had green eyes too. There was something in his gaze that she made her skin crawl. He broke his stare and walked into the fog.

"Dammit to hell!" Will snapped in frustration. "Get in the car. We have to beat him to the institute."

* * *

On the drive Tessa looked at this beautiful boy next to her, who kind of-sort of-not really had given her a kiss, who made her heart stutter and filled her stomach with butterflies, and who never asked her how she was feeling.

Charlotte stood at the door waiting for her and Will to come up the front steps. "Are you alright? Did something to happen? What's wrong?" Her voice brimming with worry.

She was closing the door when Will told her, "I would keep that open for another second and in my defense it wasn't my idea." Charlotte's eyes widened and sled to Tessa's with concern.

They all heard the heavy footsteps approaching. Charlotte turned round and Tessa could have sworn her hand twitched on the door as if her instinct told her to slam the door shut.

"What in the world do you think you're doing here?" If that wasn't an unwelcoming invitation than she didn't know what was. "Get off my property, Mr. Lightwood." Although Charlotte's height only met Benedict's shoulder, the intensity in her tone made up for that fact.

"A pleasure to see you too, Charlie. Is that cigarette smoke I smell? Don't you remember how difficult it was for you to quit?"

"No! And don't call me that!"

Lightwood was obviously entertained by her reaction and kept talking as if she hadn't interrupted. "I might have something that could assist you in your case."

"You know nothing about my cases," Charlotte seethed.

Will and Tessa had been watching the back and forth banter like a tennis match. Tessa could not have been more confused of what was happening in front of her.

"Ah, a lover's quarrel," said Will in a false grin and dreamy voice. "Well technically ex lovers."

"William! Stuff it!" Charlotte's face flushed with anger.

Tessa couldn't believe Charlotte could have ever been with the man standing in front of her. He had to be at least fifteen years older than her. Considering Charlotte's response to himnow things probably didn't end well.

Mr. Lightwood's neck had turned a shade of red but didn't acknowledge Will's comment. "Something got dropped off at the station and was signed from the Magister." Charlotte gave him a hard look and closed the door behind him.

"What was it?"

Mr. Lightwood reached inside his suit and pulled out a small plastic bag with something inside. He handed it to Charlotte, who processed the object with a blank expression. Will had given Charlotte a minimum of thirty seconds before snatching it out of her hands. Since Tessa stood much closer to Will, she finally saw that the object was a newspaper article. She only caught the words on the headline "two dead", "fire", and in bold red letters written across the article "WHAT ABOUT THE DAUGHTER?"

It was the article written about her parent's car accident. She had only read it once and that was enough. "I wasn't there," she whispered. Why only her? Why not the son?

"I don't see how this is of any help. I've read this already," Charlotte turned to Mr. Lightwood. "How does this involve the police?"

A thought flashed in Tessa's mind. Hadn't Charlotte said she was working with the police? Waking up at the institute felt like a distant memory but could have sworn she was told that British police had given Charlotte this specific case. Did they lie to her? A dull ache pressed on her temples.

"I simply thought it could help make progress-"

"_No,_ you thought I would tell the information I have so you can solve it and take all the damn credit. _Again_," Charlotte consolidated. "I don't need your help."

"Always the competitive one, Branwell," Mr. Lightwood countered. "Well now we're involved and one way or another you will have to comply with us or I will take the girl right now."

"You are not taking her," Charlotte threatened.

Tessa didn't care if she had been lied to anymore. All she knew was that she didn't want to leave. Her panicked eyes begged Charlotte to fight for her. She glanced at Will who just stood there with a pursed lips and a thoughtful look. There was no way she was being taken away, she would run away.

"Then agree to meet with us."

"Fine. I'll stop by tomorrow," Charlotte settled. "Now if you could please leave."

"Wait!" Tessa turned to Mr. Lightwood and asked, "Do you anything about my brother?"

Mr. Lightwood looked down at her with a cold expression. "We were not aware you had a brother."

He was lying. She could tell and from the way Will clenched his fist he knew it too. "Thank you," she whispered with a bowed head. "Umm if you'll excuse me I'll be up in my room."

Tessa knew Charlotte would want answers of their night but she couldn't talk to anyone at the moment. She was practically running up the stairs. The newspaper article burned into her mind. First her mother's necklace and now this? None of it made sense. If this Magister person wanted her then why did he wait until now? There must have plenty of opportunities before. Her vision went blurry with tears as a guilty thought passed through her mind. She should have ignored her brother's invitation to come to England and ripped up that plane ticket when she had the chance.

* * *

"You are seriously sulking." A gentle voice traveled down the stairs where Tessa sat. She had been avoiding everybody up till now. The whole day had been spent in her room reading, sleeping, and mourning the deaths of her parents and aunt and her missing brother. She had turned off her phone and every time Sophie had come to check on her or bring food she pretended to be asleep. Last night, grief threatened to drown her. Time had helped her move on but that didn't mean it hurt any less.

Now she sat on the stairs close to midnight. Maybe she secretly hoped the person whose voice it belonged to would find her.

Jem sat next to her on the step with little distance between them. She didn't turn to look at him. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Tessa shook her head.

"Charlotte would have never let Mr. Lightwood take you. Believe me, you're safe here," he said in a calm tone making it hard for her not to want to believe him.

"I can't stop listening to the song "Let Your Heart Hold Fast" from Will's playlist." Hoping music would distract him from discussing last night any further.

"Really?"

She finally looked at him and found Jem radiating with happiness. He looked different. Even though the lousy mood from the day hadn't worn off, she couldn't help returning his smile. His mood was absolutely contagious.

He jumped to his feet and said, "Come on! Let's go out for a bit." He offered his hand to help her up. That's what was different. Tess was so accustomed to him being in sweats and a hoodie but now he wore black jeans, an untucked white button up shirt, a jean jacket, and of course his black beanie.

"I'm not really dressed," she replied lamely. Her outfit consisted of her only pair of jeans, a loose ivory knit sweater, and her chucks.

"You're perfect," Jem argued. She looked up to find some pink in his cheeks. He was so pale that he couldn't even hide the slightest hint of heat on his face.

Without really thinking, her hand found his. It was soft, warm, and he curled his fingers around hers holding on tight.

* * *

My favorite chapter is next :)

"Jem!Really I don't..I can't dance..." She wasn't sure if he even heard her since the music was so loud.

He turned around and puller her close to whisper in her ear, "Humor me please."


End file.
